


The Other Arthur

by LadyMarianne123



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Camelot, Gen, Librarians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-12
Updated: 2016-09-24
Packaged: 2018-06-01 22:40:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 33,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6539401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyMarianne123/pseuds/LadyMarianne123
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone knows the story of Camelot - but only Jenkins knows the "rest of the story" - and now so does Stone. What happens when the past arrives at the Annex looking for help with a present day Horror?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Prolog

Jacob Stone loved wandering around the Annex, loved the way the folios looked, the way they smelled and more than anything else loved the information that the library still shared with its guardians. He spent hours when not out on some adventure just wandering from shelf to shelf looking at volumes he had only dreamed of ever seeing much less reading. Every stroll through the shelves brought a new discovery, new knowledge to enjoy. 

This night he had found a stack of books with assorted plates depicting the various versions of the legend of Camelot. He pulled on a set of cotton gives, mindful of what damage touching these delicate volumes with unprotected hands could do. As he lifted the largest of the folios from the shelf, a small leather bound package seemed to almost leap out from behind the stack and land with a soft plop on the floor. A slight glow, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, shone briefly from the packet then disappeared.

Stone lifted it warily. “What the hell?” he wondered, carefully laying it on the table beside the stack he had been examining. It didn’t look like some of the other, older leather volumes he had seen on the shelves. The covering was soft and pliable to the touch, not crumbly and fragile. He gently unwrapped the package to find small, handwritten pages. The pages were made from an odd material similar to velum, the surface velvety to the touch. The ink was vibrant, almost glowing in the dim lighting of the reading room. “Probably magic,” he thought, gently examining the book. 

The writing was in an archaic Latin, a little different from the Latin he was used to seeing. He frowned in concentration as he slowly started to translate the first page. Soon though he was lost in the story unfolding before him. 

“This is insane” he thought, turning another page in disbelief. “It can’t be true!” He stopped to examine the next to last page where the story ended and a drawing remained. The face that stared back at him young but stern and cold, a rugged face more accustomed to a rough rather than city life. The eyes that stared back at his were penetrating, seeming to stare right through him. And the man depicted in the sketch wore a simple gold crown, one that Stone had seen before. Retrieving that crown had almost cost Flynn his life and had started Jacob Stone on his new life as a Librarian. Looking back at him was a man wearing the crown of Arthur, King of the Britain, and ruler of Camelot, sketched in a book with the name Myrddin Emrys on its title page – a man more commonly known as Merlin.

Chapter One

The clippings book only went off when there was something major going on in the world. The Librarians each had their individual copies to alert them to cases that required their specialized knowledge but the main book only went off when all the Librarians - Flynn included – were needed on deck. But this time the story on its pages didn’t make sense.

“A story from the society section of the local newspaper?” Baird frowned, reading the short, gossipy paragraph. “That makes no sense... Why would we need to know about some high society shindig? Looks like it’s nothing special – just another so-called charity event.”

“Maybe there is a major artifact about to make an appearance?” Cassandra asked. “Or maybe one of the ones that disappeared in the library is going to turn up during the party? Should we go?” The red-head re-read the notice one more time. “We’ll need invitations, right?”

“Not a problem.” Jones bounced into the Annex, giving the clippings book a quick glance. “I can come up with something.”

“Like you did in London?” Baird snorted. “You nearly got Flynn and Stone arrested.”

Jones made a face at the teams Guardian. “Come on Baird – that was just a fluke. Not going to happen again.”

Baird shook her head in disbelief then carefully closed the still vibrating book. “The party is at a local museum so we probably won’t need to worry about an invite. Should be easy to infiltrate the event and see what’s going on.” She looked around the Annex with a frown. “Where are Stone and Jenkins?”

“Jake is in the stacks somewhere.” Cassandra replied, reading through the article one more time. “I think I saw Jenkins in the back. Do you want me to go get them?”

“No, this should be a simple mission. Just run in, do some quick recon and get out before they notice us. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

_____

Famous last words.

“Shouldn’t be a problem?” Baird groused, trying to keep Cassandra’s red hair in view as the guests streamed screaming out of the museum. “I should have known better.”

It had started out fine. Baird had been right about being able to simply slide into the Museum through a side entrance and have the guardian and the two young Librarians merge with other guests. The event was opened to the public – meaning that most of the guests were relatively well-heeled donors to the museum with enough “regular” people to make it look egalitarian. “Just your standard charity get-together, nothing more” Baird thought. 

Ezekiel hovered around the edges of the party, looking for anything that would explain why the Clippings Book had sent them here. Baird had warned the young thief to keep his hands to himself but she wasn’t naïve enough to believe he would. So much obvious wealth on display would be like catnip to the thief. She kept as close an eye on the talky Aussie as she could. Hopefully they would be out and gone before he succumbed to the temptation. Cassandra had also hugged the edges of the event, trying to get a look at the items the charity had put on display for donors to bid on at the end of the event, hoping to spot something that might be magical. Nothing stood out though nor had there been off about the venue. 

An hour into the event and still nothing had happened – at least nothing unusual enough to justify the Librarians presence. Baird glumly eyed the other guests, trying not to look as out of place as she felt. She was about to call an end to the mission when a movement near one of the displays caught her eye. A couple were standing behind the case, looking as bored as Baird felt. The man stood out in the sea of “pretty boys” and overstuffed seniors. He reminded her more of mercenaries she had met during her NATO tour, rugged with a dangerous aura that his expensive suit couldn’t hide. He was tall, well over six feet tall, and his rugged face was tanned with lines at the edges of his eyes as though he spent time peering out into the sun. The woman at his side different from her companion yet they seemed to fit together. She was almost as tall as her escort, delicate features with dark hair in an elaborate upsweep with elaborate jeweled pins to keep it out of her eyes. Her dark, sleeveless gown was fitted to show off her slender form yet not so tight as to be obscene. They were an odd pair, not quite fitting in to the shallow, noisy crowd around them. Baird wasn’t sure what it was about them that had caught her eye except that they seemed as unimpressed by the event as she was. 

She gestured to Ezekiel and Cassandra, motioning them towards the exit. “Enough is enough” she sighed, starting to shepherd her young charges towards the door. “If anything was going to happen…”

That was when it all went sideways.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

A piercing scream echoed through the hall, catching everyone in mid-conversation. A small figure stumbled out of a doorway, swaying as it moved. Baird moved forward quickly, keeping her Librarians behind her. As she got closer she saw that the figure was a young woman, dressed in a teal green silk cocktail dress and only one shoe. Her clothes, however, were not what stunned the Librarians. What stunned them was that she was covered in blood. “Someone call 911” Baird yelled, pushing the stunned visitors out of her way.

From the corner of her eye she saw the couple she had been observing also move forward, the man moving quickly through the now panicky throng of guests, roughly shoving a stunned society type out of his way. His female companion trailed behind him, her eyes scanning the rapidly emptying venue. The man reached the blood-soaked figure first, yanking off his silk coat and throwing it around the girl, lowering her gently to the ground as she collapsed. “Is there a doctor among you?” the man called out, his oddly accented voice gravely to Baird’s ears.

The woman ran lightly across the event floor, making almost no sound as she moved swiftly across the polished stone floors, scanning the floor as she move. She stopped suddenly at the entrance to the area the woman had emerged from. “Brother, she came from the area of the Museum offices” the woman sang out, pointing to what appeared to be an almost invisible trail of blood on the walls and floor. 

“Go” he commanded. “See what you can find.”

Baird frowned as she watched, noticing a metal glint suddenly appearing in strange woman’s hand. “A knife?” She glanced back at the now sobbing victim. “Where did she hide that?” She glanced back at Cassandra and Ezekiel and motioned to them to join her. “You two stay here; I’m going to see if I can find out what happened.” She hesitated, unwilling to leave her young friends alone in this unknown situation. “Will you two me alright?”

Cassandra smiled weakly at her. “We’ll be fine.”

Ezekiel looks ill for a moment, then nodded. “Right you are, Baird. We’ll wait right here…” his voice trailed off as Cassandra moved to kneel beside the now whimpering woman. 

“Can I help?” Cassandra asked hesitantly. 

“I think she is not injured,” the man replied, pulling his bloody coat more tightly around the stranger. “I can see nothing to account for this amount of blood.” He looked up at Cassandra solemnly. His cold blue eyes scanned the pretty red-heads face then looked up at Jones. “Can you stay with her? I must find my sister.” He stood up without another word and started to move in the direction of his companion with Baird trailing warily behind him.

“Oh sure!” Cassandra moved to wrap her arms around the shivering figure. Ezekiel moved to the other side of the victim, fishing his phone from his pocket. As the man ran towards his companion, the Librarian aimed his phone in his direction and took a quick photo.

“What are you doing?” Cassandra whispered, rubbing the sobbing woman’s arms in an attempt to warm her up. 

“Figured Baird would want to find out more about our Good Samaritan dude. He seemed real quick to insert himself into whatever this is.”

“So were we,” she replied, slightly exasperated.

“Yeah – but we're Librarians. This is kind of our thing, you know, getting involved when no one else will.”

Cassandra sighed and craned her neck towards the quickly disappearing form of their Guardian. “Now I really wish Jake had come along.”


	3. Chapter 3

Pt. 3

Baird moved swiftly towards the office doors behind the stranger. She glanced at the man at her side, noticing he appeared to be holding a cane in his off hand. She frowned, trying to remember if he had been holding anything when she first saw him. “See anything?”

He looked at her and gestured to her to remain silent and still. His icy blue eyes swept the hall before him, picking up the smears of blood on the floor and walls. “Follow the trail,” he whispered. “Let us see what we may can see.” He seemed to glide down the hall, his eyes flickering from side to side as he followed the gory path. 

Baird fell in behind him, the small gun she had hidden in her purse nestled in her hand. The blood trail led to the private offices of the Museum’s Director. The stranger’s sister was standing there, her hand on the knob as she gently shut the door. 

“Are the authorities coming?” she asked, standing at parade rest to face the others. 

“What has happened?” her brother asked, standing with his walking stick clasped in front of him.

“Is someone hurt?” Baird asked, knowing the answer before she heard it.

“Hurt?” the woman answered, her brown eyes never leaving her brother’s face. “No one is in pain in that room. Not any more.” She moved away from the door and took her brother’s arm. “The authorities will have many questions but no one to answer them. Every soul beyond this door is dead.” 

Baird moved to see for herself. “Are you sure?” she asked, reaching beside the other woman and opening the office door. The copper scent of blood swept over her. The lighting was dim but even in the darkness she could see at least two figures sprawled on the floor in unnatural positions. Both were surrounded by a dark stain which could only be blood. 

The man took his sister’s hand and turned back the way they had come. “We will let the local authorities deal with this,” he said. “That is what they are here for. Shall I tell your friends you will be with them soon?”

Baird frowned, unsure why the couple seemed to unconcerned. “Shouldn’t we at least check the victims? How can you be so sure…”

The man waved his sister before him then returned to the office doors. He reached into the room and finding the switch turned on the lights. The figures on the floor became instantly more visible. Baird wished that the lights were still off. The two bodies – a man and woman – were covered in gore. Even from where she was standing Baird could see that the victim’s faces slashed to the bone and were unrecognizable. On the far wall a strange symbol – odd lettering inside a pentagram, was written in what she could only assume was blood. 

“I think that we can take Rowan’s word for their condition. My sister’s eyes are sharp,” he commented dryly. He started down the hall behind his sister, tapping his cane on the wood floor as he walked. 

Wait!” Baird called back to him. “What if the authorities want to ask you anything? Who do I tell them to talk to?”

He turned and bowed slightly to Guardian. “My name is Arthur, Arthur le Morte.”


	4. Chapter 4

Pt. 4

Back at the library:

Jenkins watched as Stone wandered back into the card catalog area with a leather bound packet clutched in his hand. ‘Mr. Stone?” he asked, “Is there something wrong?”

“Where is Baird?” Stone replied, sitting at the table beside the Clippings Book.

“She and Ms. Killian and Mr. Jones are out looking into an entry that appeared in the book.” Jenkins eyed the packet in his hand thoughtful. “What is that you are holding if I may ask?”

“This? This is something that is going to blow the lid off one of the most well known stories in history – the story of Camelot.” He tapped the leather binding absently. “According to this it was all a lie.” Stone looked down at the bundle on the table, missing the look of shock on Jenkins face. “Merlin was not only a wizard but a con artist and a pretty damn good one.”

Jenkins swallowed nervously. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

Stone unwrapped the bundle he had been holding, opening it to the start of the journal. “This is essentially a confession – the confession of Myrddin Emrys aka Merlin the magician - to putting a ringer in place of the son of Uther Pendragon.”

“Why would he do such a thing?” Jenkins mentally willed his hands to stop trembling, willed himself to not snatch the journal away from the Librarian. He absently shuffled the books on the table wondering how long it would be before the other man noticed his agitation.

“According to the story he wrote he didn’t have much of a choice. He had put Excalibur into the stone and the plan was for Arthur to pull it out, put on the crown and be proclaimed the King.” Stone gently turned over the pages till he reached the point in the story where he had stopped reading.

“Excalibur was meant to be pulled from the stone by the true heir of Uther, the one who was destined to rule Britain. It was supposed to be Arthur, Uther’s illegitimate son but on that morning Merlin found it missing from the stone. He found it in the hands of a stranger who was using it to beat off some highwaymen who had attacked a woman and her young son.” Stone slowly flipped the book over and gently smoothed out the darkened pages. He pointed to the sketch “This is the guy who had just walked up and started beating the crap out of these guys to protect a defenseless woman. Merlin never names him in this confession but he does say that the man was strong, an incredibly good swordsman and above all – a magician just like he was.”

“A magician?” Jenkins walked slowly to the table and looked down at the face in the sketch, a face he hadn’t seen in centuries. The sketch was close but the vivid blue eyes that had once looked solemnly out over the battle field and sparkled with mirth over the evening fire were missing, robbing the image of its most memorable feature and leaving it flat and lifeless.

“According to Merlin, this guy had skills with a sword but when one of the highwaymen he was cutting to pieces tried to sneak off he tossed Excalibur in his direction and commanded the sword to finish the job. And Excalibur did as it was commanded then flew back to his hand.”

Jenkins gently closed the journal and pushed it away. “And you are sure of the authenticity of this artifact?”

“I won’t be sure until I’ve done a little more research, but looking at the parchment and the language I can make a good guess that this was at least from the right time period.” Stone looked up, noticing that the older man had gone quiet. “Jenkins? You okay?”

“Nothing is wrong, Mr. Stone.” Jenkins turned and started back to his workshop. “But a word to the wise – some old stories are best left unexplored.”


	5. Chapter 5

In the time pre-Camelot

Galeas strode through the camp, his eyes searching the shadows for a familiar form. Arthur wasn’t in his tent, which wasn’t surprising. The young warlord was notorious for pacing the campground, taking up a seat beside his soldiers so that he could hear their hopes and fears without dealing with the arrogance of his knights, specifically Lancelot. “Where can Arthur have disappeared to this time?” Galeas huffed in frustration. “Now is not the time to…” 

The sound of familiar voices stopped him in his tracks. In the distance he could just make out two figures besides an outcropping of rocks. One was the distinctively tall form of his leader and the other the slighter, cloaked figure of the warlord’s adviser Myrddin Emrys – the wizard Merlin. Galeas sighed in relief, partially at finding Arthur not wrapped up in a bawdy conversation with the soldiers and partially because it appeared the two men most involved in uniting the kingdoms were apparently on speaking terms again. It had seemed that of late Arthur and Merlin had been stiff towards one another, no longer easily sharing their hopes and fears for the new kingdom. Galeas started forward, intent on passing along what the spies had just reported, and then stopped in confusion at the words coming from the shadows.

“I told you when we first started this that my time in this reality would be brief, old man” Arthur’s deep voice seemed even more gravely than usual. “I’ve stayed far longer than I had planned. Now it’s time for your boy to take over what we have assembled for him. Time for you to break out that spell we worked on and put the real Arthur on the throne I’ve won for him.”

“The spell will work on the soldiers since they are not as familiar with you as the others. But the knights, specifically Lancelot and Galeas, will be harder to fool. And Morgan le Fey will not be fooled at all.”

Arthur snorted, his voice tinged with amusement. “Morgan has never been fooled. She’s known the truth from the first after I kicked her scrawny ass out of my tent. Have you told your boy the truth about that little situation?”

Merlin huffed in annoyance. “Yes but you’re avoiding the real question here – what do we do about your knights?”

“The knights will believe as the soldiers do if you perform the rites as we discussed. Lancelot will not be fooled but it will not matter to him. He will see it as an opportunity to have more of a say on how this kingdom is run. And he’ll be pleased to have less competition for the heart of the young bride you have selected for your new king. I have little faith that your boy will keep her happy when he’s compared to the greatest knight that has ever lived.” Arthur’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “As for Galeas – there is little I can do to make this right for him. I would have wished it different – he is a good man and a loyal knight but I can not be away from my own reality any longer. If I do not return to that moment in time from whence I came I will be lost in time forever.” He kicked at a stone at his feet then straightened to his full, towering height and turned towards the younger knight. 

Galeas ducked back into the shadows, hoping his lord had not seen him. “No, this isn’t possible. He’s not my warlord – not even really Arthur Pendragon!” he thought, a dull ache settling in his chest. “All this time, it’s not been Arthur son of Uther that we have followed but some imposter set on us by Merlin.”

“Not an imposter boy, just a replacement.” The warlord’s voice sounded suddenly in his ear. The man stepped into the sliver of moonlight, illuminating his dirty blond hair and tarnished coat of mail. “You’ll never make much of a spy. I saw you stop moving when you saw us. You heard what was discussed?”

“If you are not Arthur then who are you?” Galias asked, keeping a firm hold on his emotions.

“My name isn’t important. I’m just a wanderer in search of a war who found himself in a little deeper than he should have been. I should never have agreed to help Merlin with his plans but at the time I was in the mood for a battle and not really thinking about how this would eventually play out.” Arthur (whatever his real name was) walked up to the young knight, one hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword. “Uther’s son is a good man and will be a good king. All I have done for him is be a weapon for him in his effort to win his battle – now he must win the war to keep this kingdom together and show mercy and justice to those we have defeated. I have not the ability to see mercy when I see an enemy – he does. You have pledged your service and your sword to Arthur son of Uther. You will still be fighting for him just in another form, his true form. You still believe in that dream of a united kingdom, a world of justice for all. This is his dream as well as yours. Help him to keep it alive.”

Galeas sighed, then turned back to the campsite, his shoulder bumping against his former friend’s as he passed him. “I will keep my word as I have always done.” He stopped suddenly, then turned rapidly to the other man, pulling his sword to point it at the man he had once pledged to give his life for. “But I will not be lied to, not by Merlin and not by you, not anymore. Leave me out of your magic rite. If I am to fight then I will fight with my eyes open not clouded by sorcery.”

The other man gently pushed the sword tip away from his chest with a gloved hand. “Agreed. And Galeas – be vigilant. There are forces at work that I can not identify much less stop. Be prepared for anything.”

“I always am.” 

It was the last conversation they were to have.


	6. Chapter 6

3 hours later - Back at the library

Baird tossed her jacket over her chair with a sigh. “Well that was strange.”

“Stranger like running from a minotaur in the labyrinth?” Ezekiel replied, looking down at his phone as he sent the images he had shot to the laptop he had recently “acquired”. “Strange like having a big, tentacled monster trying to eat me because I’m awesome and think everyone should know it?”

“Not now Jones” Baird glared at her young charge, then went to the Clippings Book. She flipped the tome open and read through the entry that had sent them to the Museum event more time. “I still don’t get what exactly we were supposed to do at this event. There weren’t any artifacts present – at least none that we could easily identify.”

“Someone died” Cassandra quietly pulled out a chair beside Ezekiel to watch him work. “Maybe that’s what we were supposed to stop?”

Baird grimaced at the memory. Talking to the police had not been the highlight of her night. The locals were not impressed by her former NATO credentials and as the person to find the deceased she had automatically been high on their list of suspects. Jones smart-ass attitude hadn’t helped. If Cassandra hadn’t seemed on the verge of being ill she suspected they would still be at the station trying to explain their presence at the event when they weren’t on the “official invitation” list (though even the police had to admit many of the attendees didn’t have invitations). She hadn’t mentioned the couple who had been with her when she found the victims - who had turned out to be the museum’s financial director and his wife - as she wasn’t exactly sure how to explain who they were and why they had disappeared. Worst yet, no one else at the party seemed to remember any other strangers coming from the office area except her. 

“Where are Mr. Jenkins and Jake?” Cassandra asked, sounding tired. 

“Mr. Stone is in the Reading Room doing some research.” Jenkins voice floated out of the doorway leading to his work room. “I’ve been doing some work…” he voice trailed to a halt as he approached Ezekiel. One the laptop screen in front of the young thief was the photo he had taken of the stranger Baird had followed into the office area. “Where did you take this?” Jenkins asked harshly.

“At the museum” Jones replied, looking up at the older man with a grin. “Figured Baird would want a photo of the guy she followed into a murder scene.”

“Jenkins?” Baird looked up at the annex’s caretaker. “Do you recognize this guy?”

Cassandra looked at the photo and then noticed the leather journal lying open on the large table. She squinted at the drawing then at the photo on the screen. “Hey – it’s the same guy!”

“It can’t be!” Jenkins barked, yanking the book off the table. “He’s been dead a thousand years. It can’t be…”

“Be who?” Baird asked, startled by the older man’s reaction. 

“Arthur, King of the Britain’s, Master of Camelot. Only he wasn’t really” Stone walked into the room with a folio in his arms. “He was a fake.”

“No, not a fake. He was a weapon used by Merlin to make the world fall into place for the real son of Uther Pendragon. And he’s been dead since before the fall of Camelot.” Jenkins handed the leather bound book back to Stone and walked away from the Librarians, back to his private sanctuary in the back of the Annex. Baird stared after him for a moment, then started after him, leaving her charges to stare at each other in confusion.


	7. Chapter 7

In the back of the annex

"Jenkins?" Baird stopped at the door of the older man's workshop, hesitant to impose on his space. "You knew him? And please don't say that's impossible because we both know I remember what happened at the Loom of Fate - that you are Galahad, a knight of the Round Table." Baird approached the older man hesitantly.

The older man snatched up a rag and started to polish a metal artifact he had been working on. "There really isn't anything to talk about Col. Baird. The man in your photo was once known as Arthur of Britain but he wasn't really who he said he was. Merlin put him in Arthur's place to make sure the battles got won and the kingdom was united before he put a crown on the head of his protégée and gave him magic weapons to help him rule the united tribes."

Jenkins sighed and tossed the rag and metal piece he had been holding back on the table. "And yes, I knew him. And yes I knew he wasn't Arthur though not until near the end of the charade. I ate beside him, I rode beside him, I even fought beside him and yet all that time Merlin was fooling us all." He gave Baird a weary smile. "You know what it's like Col. Baird, to be part of a team in the field of battle. But in that time, battle wasn't fought at a distance as it is now. We were face to face, as close to our enemy as I am to you, close enough to hear him scream when he was impaled by your blade. Close enough to be hit with a spray of his blood if you took his head. It was a brutal time, and having wild magic added to the mix didn't make it any easier. Arthur wanted to turn the corner, make us more like what a civilized people should be. He wanted us, his knights, to serve the defenseless, to defeat those who would wield dark magic against the innocent. At least, that was what I thought he wanted. Then I found that the man I knew as Arthur wasn't who he said he was and I wondered if any of the rest of the dream was real as well."

Baird nodded, remembering NATO exercises that had ended badly. "And now it appears he's back again."

"How is that even possible?" Jenkins asked wearily.

"I don't know but it probably has something to do with the murder at the museum. Something ripped two people apart and left a mark on the wall we need to identify." She searched under the mess on Jenkin's desk and found a pad and paper. With a few quick strokes Baird sketched out the mark that had been left on the wall at the murder scene. "Does this look familiar?"

Jenkins frowned, looking at the sketch closely. "Oddly enough yes but I can't place it. It looks like a sigil for a demon knight but which one is beyond me. There are dozens to choose from. There should be a book in the library that will help us identify it." He motioned her to precede him and followed the Guardian back to the main room of the annex. As they approached the door a high pitched song floating out to meet them.

"What are little girls made off?" the song wrapped around Baird, raking at her nerves.

"What is that?" Jenkins said, wincing at the high pitched screech.

"That was what was playing when we left the House of Refuge." Baird replied, quickening her pace. Inside the main room, Stone and Jones were both holding their ears as Cassandra read a note that appeared to be singing to her. "Cassandra?"

The pretty redhead held out the note with a wide smile. "We've been invited to tea!" She said. "The Guardian of the House says someone is in residence that wants to see us, all of us. Even Mr. Jenkins!"

"Who?" Jenkins asked, warily.

"Someone named Rowan?" Cassandra replied, hesitantly, reading the note again.

"Rowan? That was the name of the woman at the museum, the one he said was his sister. The guy that introduced himself as Arthur le Morte."

Stone notice the Jenkins wince at the sound of the name Baird mentioned. The older man had been odd since he had found Merlin's confession but Stone had been reticent to question him too closely. "Anyone else wondering how she knew about the House of Refuge or how to find us?" Stone asked.

"We'll ask her when we see her." Baird responded, reaching for the note. "Where did she say the house was?"

A blinding light lit up the room and all around was a sound of horns being blown. For a moment Baird felt herself lifted off her feet and set gently back again. When the light blindness cleared she looked around and realized they were no longer in the Annex but in the living room of the House of Refuge, all standing in front of a couch and table set up for afternoon tea.  
The young woman Baird had last seen in front of the bloody crime scene was quietly pouring a cup of steaming liquid into a delicate bone china cup. She smiled and held out the cup. "Tea?"


	8. chapter 8

Baird blinked at the woman who had suddenly appeared in front her. "What?"

Rowan smiled at the confused group. "Would you like some Tea? I can offer either Milk or Lemon and of course some lovely little cakes and sandwiches. I realize that for you it is much too early in the morning for high tea but somehow I just couldn't resist it. It's such a much more civilized way to visit with people, especially ones you haven't spent much time with."

Jenkins shook off his initial shock and reached for the cup she was holding. "Milk for me, thank you. And you would be?"

"I'm using the name Rowan today. And you would be…?"

"He's Jenkins" Baird replied, glancing back at the young librarians. "How exactly did you do this?"

"Do what?" Rowan asked, handing the cup of now milky tea to Jenkins with a smile. The older man found himself a chair beside the sofa and settled in, watching his hostess with interest.

"Bring us from the Annex to here." Ezekiel said a mischievous grin on his face. "Did you use a transporter? I told you all the House was a transporter!"

Rowan laughed and motioned for the guardian of the house to appear. Behind them, the house spirit appeared along with chairs for all the visitors, which the librarians occupied with some trepidation. "Someone has watched way too much Star Trek. I always fancied Dr. Who myself – the Tardis was so much more interesting." She poured herself another cup and settled back into the sofa. "At any rate – no Mr. Jones I did not use a "transporter" as such. I merely requested your presence using the house as the anchor and the note as the means to an end. It's a simple spell – one my brother taught me long ago."

"How did you know his name?" Stone asked warily.

"He, meaning Mr. Jones, was at the museum. Finding out his name was as simple as looking into his mind." Rowen said with a grin. "That and the fact that I have friends in INTERPOL who like to share their frustrations about world class thefts with me."

"Where is your brother?" Baird asked, looking around the room. She too had settled into a seat, one she moved so that she would not have her back to the open doorway. "Will he be joining us for tea?"

"Probably though his idea of tea is a mug of dark ale and a slice of bread and cheese. I'm afraid the delights of high tea are somewhat lost on him though I do enjoy teasing him about being such a barbarian." She grinned wickedly at the group. "Right now he's doing a little investigative research on the deaths we were a witness to today. He felt that that the authorities would be much more forthcoming with him than with me though I can't imagine why he would think that. I, on the other hand, thought I would reach out and make few new friends. Goddess knows, we could certainly use them." Rowan took a sip and sighed contentedly. "Better. The drinks at the museum were atrocious. I'm afraid I'm not much on alcohol. Loosens the inhibitions a tad too much and that would not be good for anyone, especially anyone unlucky enough to be around me."

"Was there a reason you wanted to speak to us, other than make friends," Baird asked in annoyance, her fatigue getting the better of her instincts. "Perhaps something you want to share with us about the deaths?"

"My brother and I have reason to believe that the tragedies today are part of a pattern. We're here to see what the pattern is and if we can disrupt it before more people are lost." Rowan folded her hands in her lap with a sigh. "These two are just the most recent events in the pattern."

"How many "events" are you talking about?" Baird asked, alarmed.

"There have been at least eight deaths" a gravely voice replied from the doorway. The man who had introduced himself as Arthur walked into the room, his motorcycle helmet swinging in his hand. His dirty blond hair was wind blown as though he had not bothered with the helmet at all. "All with in the last six months, all increasing in violence with each attack and all with that same sigil painted above the victims in their own blood." He looked about him, his cold blue eyes sweeping the faces of the people in front of him until they rested on Jenkins. His expression changed from forbidding to pleased in the blink of an eye.

Jenkins rose stiffly, locking eyes with the man in front of him, the man he had once known as his friend, the man who despite his years appeared to have not aged a day since their last conversation. "Hello Arthur." He stepped forward, his arms stiff at his sides.

Arthur's eyes were lit up with genuine affection as he moved quickly forward and laid his rough hand on the older man's shoulder. "Hello Galeas. It's been a long time."


	9. Chapter 9

Stone looked over at their associate with a frown, noticing how the older man had gone suddenly pale at the sound of that voice. "What the hell?" he thought. The name the man had used for Jenkins, Galeas, rattled around in his memory, finally bringing up an unlikely reference. "Galahad?"

Rowan poured tea in a mug (which neither Baird not Cassandra had seen on the table before) and added milk to it. To Cassandra's astonishment the strange woman appeared to be stirring the mixture by moving her finger over the top of the cup as though she were using an invisible spoon. "Here is your tea brother."

Arthur made a face at his pretty sister. "I don't like tea which you well know. We don't have time for niceties right now Rowan. There is bloody work to be done." He stepped back and looked at his former friend, the pleasant expression fading from his eyes. "I would not have involved you or your compatriots in this, my old friend. After our last meeting, I thought it best to not impose myself upon this realm any more that I could. If the First Librarian were still with us this would have been different. Judson has ever been our link to the library's information but since he is no more and neither my sister nor I are acquainted with this new person…what is his name again?

"Flynn Carson" several voices replied at once.

Arthur glanced back at the young librarians, seeming to see them for the first time. "Yes, Carson, that is his name. I was informed by others that are informed of such things that he was trying to track down a…what did he call him again? A Fictional?"

"Prospero" Rowan replied, putting her brother's cup carefully back on the table before she rose to join him. "A character in a play so famous he came to life and lived away from the pages of his saga. Very entertaining but not something we need concern ourselves with. That is the problem if this realm's populace." She gently laid a hand on Jenkins arm, moving him to one side so that she could stand between them. "Brother, were you able to get access to the Murder Books for these other victims."

"Murder books?" Cassandra asked, her voice high pitched and nervous.

"Detectives working homicides put together Murder books for their cases." Stone explained, his eyes moving questioningly from Baird to Jenkins. "It should contain copies of crime scene photos, detective's notes, and any other leads gathered during the investigation."

"Mate, I'm the world class thief. How come you know about Murder books?" Jones asked, helping himself to a sandwich from the tray. He was finding this little gathering to be quite entertaining.

"Got snowed in one year in Montana and ended up watching way to many true crime series on TV" Stone responded sheepishly.

Rowan gave Stone a mischievous grin. "I guess that's better than endless episodes of the Kardashians."

Arthur snorted in amusement. "Whatever the source of his information, his definition is accurate. And yes, I do have copies of the Murder Books for the other victims. I would like to set up a crime board for all of them but not here. It would be better done back in the Library."

Baird stiffened instantly. "Why back in the library?"

"Because this place has suffered enough darkness" Arthur replied, reaching out to pull his sister close. "The spirit of the place has told my sister of the madwoman who once inhabited it and what horrors she inflicted on others within these walls. Though the darkness in these books is clinical I would prefer not to bring it into this place, not now while it is still recovering from what was done to it." He looked past Baird to Cassandra and bowed slightly to her. "My thanks lady, for your efforts in freeing this good spirit from its tormentor. It was nobly done."

Cassandra blushed and stuttered, both pleased and surprised to be singled out. "I was happy to do it! Really!"

"And there is the matter of the sigil" Rowan said, tucking her hand into her brother's arm and reaching out to grasp Jenkins hand. "That information can only be found in the Library so it only makes sense to take this conversation back to that place."

The light in the room became intense, blinding the occupants again. Baird closed her eyes thinking "Not again!" When she opened them they were once again in the main room of the Annex. But they and their odd guests were not alone. A lone figure stepped out from the stacks, a figure with bright red hair and a tight green dress.

"Hello Morgan" Arthur drawled, his eyes gone cold and deadly. "To what do we owe the displeasure of this visit?"


	10. Chapter 10

Morgan smiled knowingly. "So, you are back again my dear brother."

Arthur stared at her stonily. "I'm not your brother, wench. We both know that. What do you want here?"

"Just curious as to why my faux brother would have returned to this insignificant little reality."

"Bloody hell," Rowan warned softly, "We so don't need this now." She reached out and put her hand on Jenkins arm, moving him slightly out of the way. "Go away, Morgan. Just get back on your broomstick and fly away before you get hurt."

"And who is this little cat?" Morgan purred, "You're newest bed warmer? You used to have more exotic taste than that." She waved her hand dismissively in Rowan's direction. A book leapt from the shelves and hurtled at the dark haired woman's head, missing her by inches.

A roar filled the Annex, deafening the Librarians and their guardian. Baird stared in horror as Morgan le Fey, once the greatest (or most evil depending on the story being told) sorceress from the time of Camelot floated a foot off the ground, clutching at her throat and turning blue. Arthur stood with one arm extended towards her, his hand clenched. "Stop!" Baird screamed, pulling her weapon on the angry man. "You're killing her!"

Arthur turned and looked at the group. His eyes were fiery red and he was growling words that had not been heard in the world for generations. Baird stepped back, appalled at the rage evident in his face. Jenkins stepped forward, remembering the last time he had seen this anger.

In the time before Camelot

"Arthur! Stop!" Galeas ran up to his leader, dodging around the still fighting soldiers and the piles of the dead which surrounded him. "Enough! We've won!"

"Not until they are all dead" Arthur screamed back at him, swinging Excalibur in an arc to decapitate the fighter in front of him. "Not until they are all in Hell!"

Galeas stopped short, watching in horror as his friend mowed down anything or anyone that stood up to him. The younger knight had known that the attack on the village had angered Arthur, especially when it because apparent that there no survivors. All the women and children had been killed, even after the men had surrendered. But he had never seen such anger as this.

Merlin appeared on the battle field, running as fast as his shorter legs and longer robe would allow. "My lord! Enough!"

"Not bloody likely!" Arthur growled, punching another attacker with the hilt of his sword.

Merlin waved his hand and weapons and soldiers started to slide out of reach of the enraged warrior. Arthur glared at him and gestured a mystic symbol in the air with his sword, causing the hapless enemy soldiers to float back towards him. "Not this time old man. Not this time."

Back at the Annex

"Enough!" Rowan called, stepping around Jenkins and walking up to the angry wizard. "There isn't time for this distraction. We have work to do and this isn't helping."

She yanked on the front of Arthur's jacket, forcing him to look down at her. "Look in my eyes, brother. Look at me and let the rage go."

Baird watched as Arthur looked down at his sister and noticed his eyes were turning from red to glacial blue. He sighed and leaned down to rest his forehead on hers. His hand opened as his arm lowered to his side. Behind him Morgan slid down the bookcases to the floor, staring in horror at her "faux" brother.

"Go, Morgan" Jenkins motioned the sorceress towards the door. "Go before he changes his mind. We both know what he's capable of."

Morgan stood shakily back on her feet and made for the door, trying not to look like she was running. "This isn't the end" she snarled. "We'll see one another again!"

"Not if I see you first." Rowan replied with a smirk. "My brother isn't the only one who can kick ass in this family. And your scrawny butt will be a perfect target for my boot." She motioned to the book Morgan had sent flying at her and it went flying back to Morgan's head, bouncing off her back as she skittered for the door.

Arthur laughed, his voice muffled as he buried his face in his sister's hair. "You're really a mean little …."

"Be nice, no naughty words." Rowan giggled. "Besides, you weren't really all that mad. You were just showing off your bad boy side so she would think she had pushed all your buttons. I know when you're really angry and it doesn't look like that."

Baird sighed and threw her hands up. "Anyone remember why we came back here in the first place? You know, the demon sigil and the dead bodies?"

Rowan gave her brother a little push towards the stacks. "Yes, of course. Give me the Murder Books so I can set things up and you go find the book."


	11. Chapter 11

Arthur extended his hand to his sister. A stream of light passed between them, then she turned and tossed the light towards the center of the room. The light coalesced into multiple chalk boards with photos and other items tacked to them and a dark notebook sitting in front of them. "There – start with this while I find the book." He turned and trotted out of the room.

Baird watched him go, still clutching her gun. "Where is he going?"

Rowan shrugged. "He's gone to locate the book of demon symbols that we had used before. This isn't our first time to use this library."

"What about Morgan?" Cassandra asked, looking between Baird and the other woman.

"She'll sulk for a while, plot how she's going to get back at us and then make a try at revenge." Rowan replied, dismissively. "She's predictable, at least according to what my brother has told me."

"He's got a temper" Stone said, watching the door pensively.

"Sometimes" Rowan agreed. "Sometimes he just doesn't like being poked like a trained bear and that's what Morgan was planning on doing. I'll have to deal with her later."

"You seem to manage him well." Jenkins moved to examine the photos on the boards, frowning at the escalation of violence documented as he moved down the row.

"Arthur is…complicated" she replied. "He doesn't suffer fools lightly and has major trust issues. Remind me to tell you about that sometime. But this unsub is our most pressing issue. There doesn't seem to be much to tie the victims together. The first one was a pawnshop owner in a low rent district; the second was a public defender and his secretary in their office downtown." She moved down the row, motioning to each board in turn. "Victims four and five were siblings, moderately successful in various ventures. They were killed in their family home, along with victim 6, their housekeeper. Victim 7 was an art dealer killed in his gallery along with victim 8 – a delivery man who had arrived with a painting had bought and had shipped to him."

"So, no connection between them at all?" Stone asked, curious despite his misgivings.

"Not that the police could find" Rowan replied, stopping in front of the last board, with photos from the latest murder. "In this last event, the victims were the museum's financial director and his high society wife. The sigil on the wall above the bodies seems to be the only item that ties all the events together."

"Even that is a stretch" Jenkins commented, looking carefully at the detectives notes posted to the boards. "In the first murder, the sigil was painted in animal blood. In the other murders, the blood appears to be human, though not necessarily blood from the victims."

"And it appears that with each event the unsub becomes more uncontrolled in his actions. The first victim, the pawn broker Vince Lewis, had his throat slit in his shop while his assistant took inventory in the back. With the lawyer it appears his secretary walked in during the murder and was killed to keep her from sounding the alarm. The housekeeper in the next murder was butchered in her kitchen while her employers were each ripped apart in their bedrooms. She was in a far part of the house and wouldn't have heard anything from the bedrooms so why kill her? The delivery man at the art gallery had his face ripped off at the back door of the store. The gallery owner was decapitated in his office. The last two were ripped up in the museum back offices. The violence escalates with each event."

"As though the murder is losing what little grip they had on reality with each event." Jenkins pointed to the various autopsy photos on each board.

Cassandra swallowed, suddenly queasy. "What kind of artifact could they be using to do that?"

"I suspect the artifact isn't a weapon," Rowan replied, gazing thoughtfully at the boards.

"No, I suspect whatever is being used is more to summon a weapon than be a weapon itself." Jenkins gazed thoughtfully at the crime scene photo. "And the sigil is a signature, identifying what has been summoned."

"Will there be more deaths?" Cassandra asked in a small voice.

"Yes, I'm sure there will be." Rowan pulled a chair up to the center of the room where she could see all the boards at once. "This is going to be a very long night."


	12. Chapter 12

It turned out to be a long morning as well, with the Librarians divided up to help find anything that the police might have overlooked. Ezekiel hacked into the police servers to download any security video from the crime scenes while Cassandra reviewed the forensics in the Murder Books to see if there was a clue in the science. Baird contacted a friend in the FBI to see if there were any other incidents like the ones they were looking at that might give them an idea where they should be focusing their efforts. Stone and Jenkins stayed with the mysterious Rowan in the center room, reviewing the photos and incident reports.

"No one saw nothing." Stone tossed a page back onto the black notebook. "Typical!" He looked over at Rowan quizzically. "You know, you never did say how you and your brother got roped into this business in the first place."

"John, a friend of mine who is a magic user and exorcist, contacted us with a problem." Rowan said, stretching her tired muscles. "He was getting a hit on a locator spell of some low level demonic activity but he couldn't make out where the activity was coming from. He wanted my brother to look over his spell and see if he could figure out what was going on. It didn't take long for Arthur to figure out the activity was occurring in a different realm."

"Realm?" Stone asked, frowning.

"It's what we call different dimensions." Rowan looked at the men with interest. "Lovecraft wrote about demonic dimensions but there are other types – some are more normal than others. This realm is different from the one we were in when John's spell went sideways."

"What's your dimension like?" Stone asked, watching the woman's face with interest.

"Mine? Mine is whatever I and my family need it to be – and that can change depending on the changing seasons or the changing cycles of the moon." She sighed and waved a hand vaguely at the chalkboard. "As for this situation…"

"Found something!" Ezekiel called out. "Did you know that most of your victims went to the same college?"

"Most?" Rowan asked with a frown. "Who didn't?"

"Your first victim, Vince Lewis, is the only one who didn't go to this small town college. But get this – he was working in his uncle's pawnshop in the same town as the college."

"Why didn't the police catch that?" Stone asked, walking over to look at Jones's laptop.

"They didn't attend the college all four years at the same time." Ezekiel admitted. "And it looks like you might be right about some of these people being killed just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The lawyer from the second crime scene, one of the brothers from the third set of victims, and the art gallery owner were all at St. Alban's community college together for one year."

"Perhaps that's where this all started," Jenkins mused.

"So I looked at the forensics information in the Murder Book," Cassandra closed the notebook she had been reading through with sigh. "There is something strange. The sigils from all the crime scenes except the first one were drawn in human blood, and it was all the same blood type. The first murder scene the sigil was drawn in animal blood. Maybe the other times it drawn in the murder's blood?"

"I suspect not." Jenkins looked at the crime scene photos again, peering closely at the first set. "Does it say in that book what the blood type of the first victim was?"

Cassandra scanned the lab results quickly. "Type O. Wait..." she drew in a surprised breath. "That's the same blood type used in all the other murders!"

Rowan smiled grimly. "I think I see where you're going with that. Maybe the murderer wasn't evolving his technique. Maybe whoever they were just working their way through a list of people they thought were involved in the first murder."

"So some guy is trying to avenge this first victim?" Stone walked up to the board to look at the first murder scene photos with Jenkins.

"Guy?" Rowan snorted inelegantly. "Arthur has speculated that the murderer could be anyone - man, woman or even a child. All that is required is a little knowledge of magic or possibly a talisman to summon a minor demon, the will to create havoc and you're good to go."

"Doesn't seem like a woman's type of crime." Stone argued. "Don't women murderers mostly use less bloody methods?"

"Depends on the woman." Rowan replied. "My last target I ran over with a Humvee then backed over him for good measure."

"You're last target?" Baird walked up to the group, one eyebrow raised.

"Another long story. Way above everyone's pay grade and not going to help with this case." Rowan grinned slyly. She stared at the doorway for a moment, frowning. "Now where did my brother go to? It's never taken him that long to find a book."

Arthur appeared suddenly in the doorway, a large book in his arms. "Sorry it took so long. The room it was in had moved from where it was the last time we were here."

Baird and Jenkins glanced at each other worriedly. "Sorry about that." Baird said, moving some of the papers off the table. "So, does the book tell us anything?"

Arthur laid the tome down and quickly opened it to a highly decorated page. The sigil that they had been staring at for hours jumped out at them from the book, blood red and rimmed in black. "This is it. It's some sort of minor demon similar to a Jinn but not quite as evolved. It's like a cross between a rabid dog and a vengeance demon, not much intellect but a lot of attitude. Don't ask me to pronounce it's name – doesn't matter anyway. What does matter is that it doesn't appear unless it's summoned, and the summoner must have a particular amulet to open the way for the demon to enter."

"Does the amulet act as a control?" Rowan asked, running her finger down the book's text.

"A Control or a conduit for the summoner's rage. Either way it's a dangerous key to be in the wrong hands." Arthur looked up at the boards quizzically. "Anything useful here?"

"Possibly" Jenkins replied, turning back to the boards. "It maybe that the first murder maybe the catalyst for the rest."

"So we find out why the first murder occurred and how these other victims are related to that event we may find the person responsible for the rest." Rowan closed the book gently. "How do you want to do this? Divide and conquer"

"You and one or more of these Librarians go to the first crime scene and talk to the neighbors. See what they can remember." Arthur pulled a pocket watch out of his jacket and flipped it open. "I have another appointment I need to keep. Let us meet here after lunch."

"If you are planning on seeing John, tell him what's going on and have him stop casting that locator spell until we get a handle on whose opening the doorways and summoning these creatures." Rowan looked at Baird quizzically. "Will that work for you and your group?"

Baird glanced at Jenkins, who was studiously avoiding looking at his former friend. She sighed and looked at Stone and Cassandra. "You two work with Rowan – Jenkins, Jones and I will work this from here." She looked her Librarians with concern. "Be careful out there."


	13. Chapter 13

The first crime scene was located in an older neighborhood just starting to be gentrified. Updated brownstones sat on one side of the neighborhood while older, dilapidated commercial buildings sat at the other end waiting for their chance to be transformed. The pawn shop sat at the far end of the street, dark and deserted, with some bits of crime scene tape still attached to the door. The Librarians and Rowan fell out of the door of one of the construction huts and walked out to the middle of the quiet street. It was early morning, so there were few people still there.

"Lovely" Rowan drawled, looking up and down the road. "Librarians, you have a choice. You can either ring doorbells and talk to the yuppie types who have recently moved in or the disgruntled old-timers. Or you can walk around the neighborhood and see if there is anything left in the alleys from six months ago." She looked at the pawnshop, seeing a slight glimmer coming from under the door of the abandoned building. "On second, thought, you two go talk to the nice people staring at us from their windows and I'll do the recon."

"I don't think it's such a good idea to split up." Cassandra looked between Jake and Rowan, a slight frown on her face.

"It'll be fine." Rowan reassured a smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes. "With any luck you'll find some nice, genteel old lady who will offer you cookies and talk your ears off." She trotted off without a backward glance, disappearing in the darkness behind the building.

Stone watched her disappear with a frown. "Why do I get the feeling we're being ditched?"

Cassandra looked up at one of the newly renovated townhomes and saw a curtain move slightly. "Jake, I think someone up there is watching us."

"Where?" Stone followed her gaze up to the window. A curtain on the second floor moved briefly, and then went still. "Saw that – let's start with whoever is behind that window."

Rowan looked back briefly, watching the two young Librarians discuss their options. "Yes, go, talk to the nice people in their nice, clean homes. That will keep you out of my way, at least for a moment." She closed her eyes for a moment, sending a message out to the universe then opened them to watch the movement of the darkness in the alleyway. One shadow particularly interested her, wrapping itself around the building as though to keep her out. She smiled grimly, then rolled up her sleeve and looked down at the sword tattooed on her arm. She sang softly, a song as old as time, and the sword appeared to disappear from her skin only to reappear into her hand. A silver gauntlet covered the hand that held the blade. "Hello old friend," she smiled, coolly, pressing it gently to her face. "Time to go to work."

At the Annex

Baird watched over Ezekiel's shoulder as he ran a search, trying to tie their first victim with the others. "You know Colonel this would go so much faster if you weren't breathing down my neck."

"Zip it Jones," she said sternly. "Just find us a connection." Baird's cell phone buzzed suddenly, forcing her to step away from the thief. She listened for a few moments then hung up with a click. "That was a friend of mine in the FBI. He had a suggestion. I need you to see what you can find out about a couple of deaths around the time as our victims were at St. Albans."

Jones frowned, changing his search parameters. "Okay – looks like two girls from the college disappeared around the same time as these guys were there. One girl's body was found with her throat cut in an abandoned barn just outside of town and the other girl…" he frowned, re-reading the information. "Okay – that's weird."

"What's weird?" Baird asked.

"The other girl was found in the alley just outside the pawn shop the first victim was working at. She was alive, pretty messed up, and didn't remember where she had been, who had taken her or what they had done. Police dismissed her pretty quick saying she had gone on some sort of drug bender."

"Why is that weird?"

"Because the news articles say the two girls disappeared while together. So if one girl turns up dead, why didn't the police hold the other girl on suspicion?"

Jenkins walked into the room quickly, holding a large ledger in his arms. "Col. Baird, I think I may have something as well." He laid the notebook on the table and opened it to a particular page. "Mr. Flynn found this on one of his adventures. I've read through a bit of it, just enough to find out where to put it. It appears to be a listing of assorted minor artifacts that were being trafficked on the black market."

"There's a black market for magical artifacts?" Jones looked up in interest.

"Not now Jones" Baird warned. "What has this got to do with our case?"

"One of the items listed in this inventory is a token which is said to summon minor demons." He pointed at the line in the notebook. "Power, focus and effect. The Focus for this is the amulet; the effect would be the demons entrance into this reality to do the bidding of the holder of the token."

"And the power?" Baird asked.

"The power was the depth of the summoner's grief, rage and desire for revenge. Whoever is holding this amulet is drowning in their anger and need to strike back but is unable to do it without help, without the amulet to summon the demons. And Colonel, the demons are indiscriminate in their actions. Anyone within range of that rage will be the target of the dark forces being called up. Anyone – including the Librarians."


	14. Chapter 14

Baird frowned. "Okay – that sounds nasty but how do we know it's the item we're looking for?"

Jenkins motioned back to the ledger. "The ledger belonged to a pawn broker by the name of Mathias Lewis – the same name as the uncle of our first victim Vince Lewis. He was the pawn broker Lewis was working for at the time that all our other victims were at St. Albans."

"So is Mathias Lewis still in the business?" Baird asked.

Ezekiel quickly checked the name. "Looks like the old pawn shop dude retired to Florida and died around a year ago. His will was probated leaving everything, including the shop to another of his nephews. Store closed shortly after that. "

"So the old man trafficked in magical artifacts, and passes his inventory on to his nephew when he retires. How does that connect to the girl's death in the past and the murders in the present?" Baird shuffled the reports on the table, looking for the any financial information on the victims. "Was the old man involved in the girl's death? Was he blackmailing the others? Or was his nephew the blackmailer and did that lead to his death?"

"All very interesting but if this talisman is what we're looking for then how do we stop it from being used again?" Ezekiel asked. "Is there anything in the library to tell us how to turn it off?"

"We have to find it first." Baird spread out the pages she had finally found. "If we can figure out the story, we can figure out who our next potential victim might be and head the killer off at the pass."

At the first crime scene

Rowan watched the shadows writhe around the back wall of the old pawn shop. "What is it you don't want me to see?" she asked mentally. She moved towards the door and instantly the shadows coalesced into a solid form, a vaguely human shape barring the way. Rowan feinted to the left then turned on her heel, using her sword to slash at the shadow. The blade flared with silvery light as it passed through the figure, lighting up the dark alley. A high pitched scream filled the air and suddenly the shadows were gone.

"Standard protection spell. Interesting but way too easy," she thought, turning the back door knob. The door creaked as it opened. Moving into the back area of the building, she noticed the lack of dust on the floor and the lack of cobwebs on most of the shelves. "Interesting – door isn't locked and someone appears still using this place." She poked at piles of papers on a few of the shelves with a frown. The shining she had noticed before she had entered seemed to have coalesced in a corner. A ledger and a framed photo were the only items on the shelf. "Again - Interesting. Now what do we have here?" Suddenly the sound of approaching police sirens filed the air. She snatched up the items on the illuminated shelf and moved quickly back to the door, carefully checking before she stepped back out. Across the street she saw the two young Librarians running for the construction hut. "Bloody hell – what did those two get into?"

Across the street

Stone and Cassandra walked into the apartment, going up the second floor apartment they had noticed from outside. "I'm thinking it's this one" Stone said, stopping in front of a door.

Suddenly a high pitched scream emanated from the apartment. The door flew open and a young woman, probably no older than Cassandra, stood staring at them in anger. She was small, standing about level with Jake's shoulder, with a tangle of shoulder length brown hair and blood-shot dark eyes. "Get away from me!" she screamed. "Get away!"

"Jake, she's bleeding!" Cassandra gasped, reaching out instinctively to help the young woman.

The woman stared down at herself, wiping ineffectively at the slow drip of blood that was visible on her oversized white shirt. "No – this isn't happening. This isn't real! You aren't real!" She backed away from the duo, her eyes suddenly wide with terror.

"Hey!" a door popped open and an older man looked out his door. "What are you doing to her? I'm calling the police!" the man yelled, slamming the door quickly shut again.

"Okay – we need to go" Jake said, grabbing his companion by the arm. "Now Cassandra!"

"But we can't just…" she looked back at the open apartment door and the terrified woman still trying to crawl away from them.

"Oh yes we can" Jake shoved her towards the door. "The last thing we need is to get locked up." The duo ran out to the street where the sounds of an approaching police car sent them scurrying towards the door leading back to the Annex. "Dang that was fast! They must have been just around the corner!"

"Where's Rowan?" Cassandra asked, trying to keep up with her companion.

"What the hell did you two do?" an annoyed voice sounded behind them. Rowan sauntered up to them, several items tucked under her arm.

"Where the hell…" Jake did a double take; sure the woman had not been there a moment before. "We need to get out of here before the police …"

Rowan waved a hand down the street. A loud crashing sound echoed down the street. "Chill – they won't be here for a few minutes."

"What did you do?" Jake asked, appalled.

"It's just a couple of blown tires." Rowan walked around the duo and popped opens the door back to the Annex. "They will be fine. But we won't be if you don't get your arse in gear and get through that door." She ran through the open portal, disappearing in to the room beyond.

Cassandra looked down the road nervously then ran through the door followed by Jake. "I hope those officers are alright."


	15. Chapter 15

Baird looked up as Cassandra, Jake and the mysterious Rowan tumbled through the door back into the Annex. "Find anything?"

"No – just some crazy lady in the apartments across the street from the pawnshop who seriously needs a shrink." Jake growled.

"She was bleeding." Cassandra pulled up a chair in front of the long table, a worried look on her face. "Maybe we should have stayed."

"And have the cops blame us? No thank you!" Jake turned to Rowan with a frown. "What did you find?"

Rowan laid the ledger and photo on the table thoughtfully. "A few magically related things. This woman – could you see where she was bleeding from?"

"I couldn't tell" Cassandra admitted. "It just looked like blood on her shirt."

"There wasn't much blood." Jake moved to stand behind Cassandra. "Looked more like a deep scratch, not a stab."

"Hmmm…" Rowan tapped one finger thoughtfully on the table. "That's interesting."

"What's interesting?" Baird asked.

"When I approached the back door of the pawnshop I sensed a presence. It was a minor protection spell but when I tried to approach the building it formed into something that looked like a human shape. I took a swipe at it and it screamed and dissipated."

"Took a swipe at it with what?" Cassandra asked, looking confused.

Rowan looked at the group for a moment than shrugged. "With this" she replied, holding out her hand, palm out. To the surprise of the Librarians a gauntlet formed around her hand. A silvery sword appeared in a shimmering mist. nestled in the glove with the blade gleaming in the library's ambient lighting. "It's a Fae blade, created for me by one of the high elves. It's attuned only to me so it can't be used against me. It can also take whatever form of weapon I need at that moment, from elvish blade to Saracen curved sword, even a Desert Eagle revolver. And when it's not need…" she opened her hand and the blade and gauntlet disappeared, leaving only a tattooed image of a sword on her palm. "And since it's part of me I can't ever lose it. Like I said – convenient."

Jake stared at Rowan in astonishment. "Lady, who the hell are you?"

Rowan shrugged. "I'm a soldier, statesman, researcher, anything my brother has need of and whatever it amuses me to be. And none of that is important now." She waved at the pile of items she had brought through the door with her. "I found these in the pawnshop, illuminated by the remnants of a protection spell that would have made them invisible to the normal searcher. None of the CSI techs that went through that building after the murder would have seen them unless they had a touch of the old magic in their blood. It makes me wonder why someone would want to hide them."

Jake turned the photo over on the able and tapped in emphatically. "That's her! That's the crazy from across the street."

Baird and the others gathered around the table. "So, who is she?" the Guardian asked, examining the picture intently. "And who is the man with her?"

Ezekiel pulled the picture closer to him and popped the image from its frame. "Let's see if we can find out." He scanned the image quickly and uploaded it to his system. Within a few minutes the system spits out a link to a newspaper article. "Okay this is strange." Ezekiel said, squinting at the screen.

Jenkins looked over the young thief's shoulder at the computer screen. "This article is about the murder of the young woman at the college – the incident that might have started this set of events. She's identified as the second woman who disappeared – Maya Tanner. And the guy is identified as Mathias Lewis."

"That's not possible." Cassandra protested. "That first crime was almost fifteen years ago. That woman would have been in her mid to late thirties. The woman we saw today couldn't have been more than eighteen at the most!"

Rowan sighed. "As if we don't have enough mysteries to solve – now this." She flipped open the ledger and started to examine it, reading quickly through the neatly written entries. "Well, this is interesting. Do we have the financials from the pawnshop – the ones that the police gathered?"

Jenkins pulled the information from the large pile on the end of the table. "I think this might be what you are looking for."

"Yes" she replied, laying it beside the second ledger. "Look – here are some of the same entries. I'd say that our deceased pawnbroker maybe have been keeping a second set of books. And here" she pointed to a notation on one of the pages. "It looks like this is a different bank account from the one the police found. Mr. Jones, can you…?"

"No worries" Ezekiel replied with a grin. He looked at the entries associated with the new bank account number. "It's not a Cayman Islands account – just another local bank so not as complicated. He's tried to cover up the name but I think…" he quickly entered the information and sat back with a smile. "Here we go. Account under the name of Mathias Lewis at a local credit union."

"I'm going to assume it's not the old man's account?" Rowan asked.

"I'm going to say no. Looks like it was opened after the old man retired to Florida. And whoever this account belongs to has been receiving some steady infusions of cash. Looks like at least at least a thousand a week for the last twelve months."

"Blackmail." Rowan said with distaste. "How mundane."


	16. Chapter 16

"My brother will be so displeased." Rowan sighed. "When John sent us that message we had hoped that it would lead to something more interesting."

"Interesting?" Baird said, amazed. "You have a serial killer using demons as a weapon and a token to control those demons. Isn't that interesting enough?"

Rowan shrugged. "I've dealt with odder things. So has he." She turned to Jenkins and smiled. "I suspect you have as well especially after all these years."

Jenkins shot a quick look at the others. "We should find out what we can about the woman that Mr. Stone and Miss Killian encountered. Perhaps she was a relation of Maya Tanner."

Baird nodded, looking at the photo. "Jones, I need you to run down the name of the woman in that apartment."

"If I may," Rowan interjected. "I think Mr. Jones's talents could be used to follow the money trail. My friends can find out what you need about the woman."

"Friends?" Jake looked at her apprehensively.

"I have a plethora of unusual friends. Some are even immortals." Rowan turned back to the Murder boards. "The long lived ones tend to bore easily and little things like this search will amuse them. And I can trust that they will be more thorough than the local constabulary. They are very detail oriented."

The Annex back door flew open with a whoosh. Arthur walked through, his cell phone to his ear. "Yes, father. I know, father. Can we argue about this later, Father?" He looked over at his sister and shrugged.

Rowan grinned and walked over, taking her brother's cell phone from him. "Good night father." She ended the conversation and handed the phone back to Arthur. "There – that's how you end a conversation."

"Not with our father." Arthur sighed. "How is the investigation going?"

"It's progressing." Rowan filled her brother in on what they had found. "So if we're right, the first murder was the catalyst for the others. Someone wanted to get rid of a blackmailer but didn't realize what they would be waking up. Someone with a basic understanding and ability for magic is trying to avenge the dead blackmailer."

The sound of the Clippings book rattling on the table stopped any further conversation. The Librarians gathered around the table to read the new message. "So, what does it say?" Baird asked.

"Looks like we have another murder to add to the board." Baird read grimly. "A couple living down the road from the pawn shop."

"How do we want to handle this?" Rowan asked, looking up at her brother. She extended her hand and her gauntlet formed around it.

Arthur frowned. "Rowen," he warned.

"It's fine – they've seen my blade and know its capabilities."

Arthur sighed in frustration. "And you thought it important to tell them why exactly?"

She shrugged, unconcerned. "Why not? The only one that might fight me for it would be Morgan and you know what I'll do to her if she tried. Besides, didn't you tell me you had one of your knights with you when you uncovered this blade?" Rowen glanced slyly back at Jenkins, who shook his head ruefully.

In the time of Camelot

Arthur and Galahad walked through the deserted castle, sword in hand. The battle had been bloody, with wild magic mixing with a power hungry warlord leading the opposing forces. The castle had once been the warlord's base of operation, protected by spells that Galahad suspected had been forged by a witch like Morgan le Fey. Now, all that was left was the coldness and silence that followed death.

"What was he hiding?" Galahad asked, looking over at his leader and friend.

"Something that he found and didn't want Morgan or those of the Lake to posses. Now there's an odd combination – and a worrisome one. Morgan is easy to predict but the Lake not so much. Morgan wants power, but her desire is based in anger and greed. The Lake is…complicated. Whatever Gorus was hiding in this place I'd like to make sure it's not available to either."

Lancelot strode into the great hall, his long legs covering the ground quickly. "The enemy soldiers are running like rats. My Lord, what is your command?"

Arthur sighed in annoyance. "I'm not King yet – just the leader of a ragtag army in need of supplies and rest. Go and see to that and we'll catch up with you in a moment."

Lancelot frowned then turned on his heal and went back out the door without another word.

"He'll not be pleased" Galahad said, watching the Knight disappear through the door.

"He's only pleased if he's the center of attention." Arthur growled his already rough voice gravely with fatigue. "Time he learned that a knight should have care for those he leads and not just for the glory he can find for himself." The warlord slapped his young friend on the arm with a grin. "Come, we've a lot of castle to search and little time before the opposing army regroups."


	17. Chapter 17

In the annex

The Librarians and their guests split into two groups. "Stone, you and I will go to the crime scene." Baird directed. "Cassandra, you and Jones stay and see what else you can dig up on the people involved in the first case."

"I'll join you as well." Arthur volunteered; popping open his cell phone and reading through his text messages before handing it back to his sister. "Rowan's friends have a tendency to not want to talk when they hear my voice. I can't imagine why. "

Rowan frowned at her brother. "I don't like that idea. I'm always at your back."

"I don't either." Arthur admitted. "But we don't have a choice. We need more information to understand what is happening before we can make a plan to stop it."

Rowan agreed grudgingly. "Fine – but if anything happens out there you call to me and I'll be with you instantly."

Arthur sighed and held out his hands in resignation. "Fine, fine – whatever you want. You're as bad as father, except he's usually telling me to keep track of you not the other way around."

Jenkins dialed up the address of the new murder and sent the others through it, closing the back door with a snap. "While they are gone I'll see what else I can find out about that token being used to summon the demons." He disappeared up the stairs before anyone could question him.

Rowan made a call, speaking quickly in French to the person at the other end. She laid her cell phone on the table in front of her. Using a blank tablet and a simple retrieval spell, she retrieved the records from the murder of the college girl. She read quietly for an hour, occasionally at the stairs for Jenkins. She had a feeling the older man felt a little off balance whenever her brother showed up.

The information from the first event was sparse to say the least. "Our dead co-ed's case didn't get much attention from the police. Seems that they poked at the case for a bit then for whatever reason let it drop. The murdered girls name was Amy Jennings. She was Maya Tanner's roommate. The girls were seen at a bar down the road from the Mr. Lewis's pawnshop." She read further down the words that were still appearing on the tablet. "This is interesting."

"What is?" Cassandra asked, watching fascinated as the records appeared on the pages.

"It seems that Ms. Tanner worked part time at the pawnshop while she was in school. The Lewis family and the Tanner family evidently had been friends for years and her father thought it would be good to have Mathias look after her while she was away at college." She read further down the record with a frown. "It also seems that Maya was never able to tell the police or anyone else what had happened to either her or Amy. Maya was never the same after that and spent the rest of her existence bouncing between psychiatric hospitals, half-way houses and other such institutions."

"What finally happened to her?" Jones asked.

Rowan read a little further down the page and frowned. "She killed her self around a year ago. This begs the question – what happened that night that someone was willing to pay to have that question stay unanswered."

"And why did people start dying six months ago?" Cassandra stared at the cell phone curiously. "What are your friends looking for that Ezekiel can't find on the Internet?"

Rowan sighed. "Not everything is on-line, especially when it comes to magic. The token had to have come from somewhere and most of those places don't keep electronic records that can be easily hacked. My friends are quite adept at finding records for such places."

"But they don't like telling your brother about them?" Jones looked up from his frustrating search with a frown.

"They get a little nervous around him. He can be intimidating." The phone suddenly started to vibrate, dancing its way across the table. Rowan snatched it up and started chatting with the caller in French. She frowned as the conversation ended. "Now that's interesting."

"What is?" Jenkins voice drifted out of the doorway leading to the Reading room. He stepped into the room, an ancient book in his hands.

"My friend says that our old pawn broker, Mathias, has something of a reputation in the world of magic artifacts. Nothing extreme, but he was known to be able to find items for the right price. I wonder if he found the token for someone."

"And that someone in turn used it against his nephew." Jenkins replied soberly.

"Got it!" Ezekiel called out, a brilliant smile on his face. "As if there were any doubt…"

"Mr. Jones, now is not the time." Jenkins admonished. "What did you find?"

"The owner of that apartment you all were knocking on yesterday – her name is Abby Tanner."

"Any relation to Maya Tanner?" Rowan asked.

"Her baby sister." Jones replied, gesturing to the information on his laptop. "When her sister went off the deep end Abby's parents sent her to live with her grandparents while they tried to deal with their older daughters problems.

"Good work, Mr. Jones." Rowan dialed a number quickly and started a conversation in Russian.

"She's got a lot of friends." Cassandra commented.

"You have no idea." Rowan said, dropping the phone on the table. "My friends will try to track down Mathias. I suspect tales of his demise might be untrue. If so, then my friends will see if they can get anymore information from him." She rose, stretching her tired muscles. "I wonder what my brother and your fellow Librarians might have found at the new crime scene."


	18. Chapter 18

At the murder site

Baird watched the police presence surrounding the small bungalow with a frown. "I somehow doubt telling the police I'm part of a NATO counter terrorism task force or that you are a Librarian will get us into the crime scene."

"No worries" Arthur said with a smirk. "I'll get us in." He pulled a badge cover from his pocket and motioned over the closest uniformed officer. "Officer – I'm special Agent Arthur King and these are my associates from the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit. I need to speak to the detective in charge."

The young officer nodded and ran back into the house, coming back with an older man in a suit. "Agent King? I'm Detective Morales. What is the FBI's interest in this case?"

"We have reason to believe that your unsub is the person behind several other murders committed in the last six months including the killing at the museum." Arthur straightened, using his six and a half foot height as a subtle form of intimidation against the smaller man. His icy blue eyes and cold smile unnerved even Baird who had dealt with terrorists and magical madmen.

Detective Morales swallowed nervously. "How do you know it's your target?" He stared into the taller man's eyes, mesmerized.

"Is there a sigil painted in blood over the victims?" Baird asked, hoping to normalize the conversation.

"Yeah – some weird symbol is painted over the husband. The wife's body is so messed up it's hard to tell what all happened to her until we get her to the coroner's office." Morales nodded in the direction of the ambulance where the bodies were being loaded for transport.

"May we see the room where the sigil was found?" Stone looked back at the house, noticing the CSI techs were filing out, plastic bags containing samples clutched in their hands.

"Yeah – sure." Morales motioned towards the house, sounding a little dazed.

The Librarians and their companion gingerly picked their way through the house, trying to avoid disturbing any of the remaining crime scene techs. Arthur stopped at the door to what seemed to be the master bedroom, looking into it with a frown. "I see something. Go ahead – I'll catch up." He stepped over the threshold and gently closed the door behind him.

"Think that's a good idea?" Jake asked, looking from the door to Baird. "Not sure I trust this guy alone."

"He's not going to get into too much trouble with all these cops around us. Let's see if the crime scene looks anything like the museum site." They looked into the next doorway, following the trail of blood drops. Inside they found a large blood stain on the floor and on a couch against the wall. The sigil Baird had seen in the museum was visible drawn on a blank wall above the sofa, the blood still dripping. "Okay – so exactly like the museum." Baird mused, taking a picture of the room with her phone.

In the master bedroom, Arthur followed the subtle glow he had seen from the doorway to a pile of clothes on the floor beside the bed. He picked through the assorted shirts, pants and underclothes till he found the source of the light. A picture was laying face down, protected by a simple avoidance spell. The crime scene techs could have picked up every piece of clothing off the floor and would still have not seen the photo unless they were magically inclined. "Interesting." He thought, examining the photo carefully. "It's the same as the one Rowan found at the store." He glanced around the room with a frown. "I wonder…"

A knock on the door broke through his reverie. Stone gingerly opened the door and motioned to him. "Baird thinks we need to get out before that detective wakes up from whatever you did to him."

"She is wise." Arthur replied. "But there is something I need to verify. Go back to the Annex and tell my sister I will join you shortly." He bowed his head and in a shimmer of lights, disappeared.

Jake blinked, startled by the man's disappearance. "This guy was Arthur? He acts more like Merlin" he thought, looking back down the hall. "Baird! Let's go. Our buddy has other things to check on. Says he will catch up with us later."

Baird frowned. "Did he say what he was looking for?"

"No – just that he would catch up with us at the Annex." Stone pulled out his phone and dialed Jenkins's number.

At the annex

Jenkins answered his phone, moving quickly through the main room to arrange for the back door to open and allow Baird and Stone to return to the Annex. "What did you find?" he asked.

"Looks like the same guy using the same sigil to sign his work" Baird responded, handing her phone to Jones. "I took some shots of the crime scene."

"Where is my brother?" Rowan's steely voice drifted from the corner of the room.

"He said he need to verify something and would meet us here." Stone flinched at the sudden anger in the woman's eyes.

"That man is beyond stubborn" she fumed. "He's going to get himself killed again if he's not careful."

"Again?" Cassandra asked, confused.

"Long story" Rowan replied, tossing the folder she had been fiddling with back on the table. "Not appropriate for now. So – what did you find?"

The group gathered around the computer and quietly talked about the new crime. Jones began his search to link one or both of the new victims to the previous ones while Baird and Stone talked in a corner. Cassandra moved quietly to stand behind Ezekiel as he worked, offering suggestions. Rowan sat in front of the Murder boards absently playing with a silver coin between her fingers. Jenkins also chose to sit on the table beside their guest, somberly looking at the Murder boards.

"Was it you?" Rowan asked Jenkins quietly. "Were you with him when he found my blade?"

Jenkins nodded somberly, remembering that day…

In the time of Camelot

They had searched every room in the castle, some twice. Galias wasn't sure what his leader was looking for but whatever it was Arthur seemed determined to find it." Arthur, we've turned out ever room – whatever you are looking for isn't here!"

"It's here" Arthur snarled, tipping over the throne their defeated enemy had once used. "I'm just too blind…" His voice trailed off as his eyes focused on tree visible from the area of the throne. "Damn! How could I have missed it? It was right before my eyes!" He charged out of the room into a small, overgrown patch besides the building.

Galias ran after the taller knight, wondering what he had seen. Nothing seemed worth all the work they had done. He skid to a stop behind his friend, watching in amazement as Arthur sang to a small pine tree, his deep voice vibrating with the power of the spell he was calling forth. The tree shimmered, and then seemed to fall apart in a shimmering wave. Left in its place was a silvery blade, standing with its tip buried in a black stone. "There you are" Arthur purred, pulling the blade from its base. "She would have loved you."

"She?" Galias asked, quietly.

Arthur looked back at his friend, his eyes sad. "My sister. It was her birthday when she left us."

Back at the Annex

"I thought he meant Morgan – which made no sense as he despised her." Jenkins sighed and looked down at the woman at his side with a sad smile. "Obviously I was wrong."

"Remind me to tell you that story one day" Rowan replied, smiling wanly.

The sound of the back doors flying open broke the moment as Arthur came charging back into the Annex, several photos clutched in his hand. "Our killer sends his victims something to remind them of their crime." He held out the photos to Baird, who laid them out on the table. They were all the same, a duplicate of the photo Rowan had found in the pawnshop. The photo of Maya Tanner and Mathias Lewis.


	19. Chapter 19

"So everyone received a copy of that photo?" Baird laid out the prints in a row, frowning at the blood stains on each of them. "Do I want to know where you got these?"

"Not really." Arthur shrugged. "One more thing – each photo has an echo of magic attached to it.'

Rowan moved a hand over each photo, humming to herself, then stopped suddenly. "Bloody hell! Arthur, these photos have been used as gateways. That's how the creatures got to their victims. The picture opens a gate from their world to ours and the beasts pour through to feast."

"Feast?" Cassandra said, turning slightly green.

"The murder was just the end product for the demons. They thrive on fear and pain, that's why the demons rip them the way they do, even killing others nearby. Fear and pain and finally death." Rowan frowned, running her hand over each photo. "That maybe how we stop this, by taking the fight to them."

"Probably" Arthur agreed. "But until we can find the reasoning behind this we'd be going into the field of combat blind and deaf."

"We aren't totally blind. It would seem that the young woman Jake and Cassandra had a run in with is the younger sister of Maya Tanner the first death associated with these people. Her name is Abby and if she was affected by my slashing at the shadow guarding the pawnshop then either she is bound by a spell or is the source of it." A cell phone rang the sound echoing through the room. Rowan snatched it up and started a lively conversation in French with whoever was on the other end.

Arthur watched his sister conduct her animated conversation with amusement. "The girl has friends everywhere."

Rowan picked up a book and tossed it at her brother's head. "Not a girl, brother mine, nor a child." she said, tossing her phone back on the table. "I haven't been a child for a long time."

"So what did your friend have to say?" Baird asked.

"Mathias Lewis was found. Not so dead after all. My friend thinks he has quite the tale to tell but is not willing to share it – at least not with her." Rowan gazed thoughtfully at her brother and the Librarians. "I'm not willing to bring him here but we might just have to go to him."

"Go where?" Cassandra looked back at Baird. "Didn't one of these documents mention he was retired to Florida when he was reported to have died?"

"He was" Rowan agreed. "But my friend found him outside of New Orleans."

"Madame Laveau was able to tell you anything else?" Arthur to the back door, examining the globe used to dial up a destination.

"Laveau? Marie Laveau?" Jenkins looked at Rowan in astonishment.

"Who?" Jones asked, looking bored.

"A legendary witch from New Orleans who should have been dead by now." Jenkins shook his head in annoyance. "We can't trust…"

"You don't have to trust her" Rowan interrupted, moving to stand beside her brother. "But she's never screwed me so I am willing to at least listen to what she might have found." She waved her hand over the globe and the back door glowed, a bright light pouring through the cracks.

Arthur reached out and opened the door to reveal the streets of New Orleans. Across the street was a voodoo shop with a beautiful dark skinned woman standing in front of it. "There she stands. Find out what she knows and come back to me soon." He stood aside as Rowan walked through the door and across the street. Arthur watched her till she disappeared into the shop, and then gently closed the Annex door.


	20. Chapter 20

"That was not wise, Arthur" Jenkins warned. "You have no way to know where the witch's loyalties lay."

Arthur smiled fondly at the older man. "You always were over protective, old friend."

Jenkins sighed in frustration. "Someone had to pull you back from the abyss. What if the witch chooses to strike at your sister?"

"I have little fear of that." Arthur replied, a wolfish smile on his face. His eyes did not reflect the smile. "Laveau is not as good as her reputation claims her to be. And I have no intention of losing my sister again - even if it means I rip the witch's skin from her bones to stop that from happening."

Baird waved a file in the direction of the two men. "How about we do something here while we wait for Rowan to come back?"

Stone looked at all the photos Arthur had brought to the group. "This all started with this woman's death. Her sister is somehow connected to magic that is bringing demons into our world. Maybe we should find out more about her?"

"Already happening" Jones sang out, his fingers flying over the keyboard. "Man, this girl had issues." He waved at the screen. "Look here."

"No" Arthur ran his finger over the back of the laptop then waved his hand in the direction of a blank wall. The image from the screen suddenly appeared, making it easier for the group to view. "There – now we don't all have to crowd behind you."

"Very cool move, mate" Jones admired, his fingers pausing for a moment. "So anyway – looks like there is almost no story for her. Her grandparents' home schooled her so no record from before high school. She dropped out of college for unknown medical reasons and has been living off a small inheritance from her parents ever since."

"How are the latest victims related to any of this?" Cassandra asked.

"What was the male victim's name?" Arthur asked, reaching for the documents related to the first death.

Jones tapped a few keys. "Police reports say the guys name was Marvin Swinton. His wife's name…"

"Wait – Swinton?" Arthur thumbed through the report then stopped and held out a report to Baird. "There is a Marvin Swinton listed as the officer responding to the original report filed when the two girls disappeared."

Baird read through the report with a frown. "This isn't right. It reads like he thought the girls had run off with some guys. Doesn't look like he tried really hard to find them."

"Hmmm…" Arthur leaned against the table, frowning at the wall. "The police officer who didn't find them, the nephew of the man who employed one of the girls and other assorted men with no link between them all. Unless…" He glanced back at Jenkins, then straightened and turned back to the door. "Tell my sister I will return shortly."

"I'm sure she'll be pleased to hear you've run of without someone at your back again." Jenkins stood beside the table, arms crossed and a displeased look on his face.

"She'll be annoyed, probably angry, possibly even livid. But she'll get over it." Arthur shrugged, unconcerned.

"At least take one of the Librarians with you." Jenkins protested.

"Why don't you go with him?" Cassandra asked with a tentative smile. "Maybe then you can talk about old times."

"Yes, Galias, why don't you come with me?" Arthur agreed, a thin smile on his rugged face. "I'm sure there is a lot for us to talk about other than this case."

Jenkins froze for a moment than stared into the other man's cold blue eyes. "Very well, Lead and I will follow."


	21. Chapter 21

Baird firmly closed the Annex door behind the two men. "Okay – so let's look at what we know about this case."

Stone stared at the door in concern. "Sure that was such a good idea? I got the feeling that guy wasn't on Jenkins friends list."

Jones shrugged, unconcerned. "He'll get over it."

Stone frowned. "Can we talk" he asked Baird, moving towards the stairs.

Baird sighed, certain she knew what this was about. "What is it Stone?" she asked, standing on the bottom stair to look up at him.

"You heard what he called Jenkins? Galias? You know who that is, right?"

Baird sighed. "Yes, I know. I've know since the Loom of Fate. But it's Jenkins life. If he wants to be known as Jenkins then so be it." She glanced down at Ezekiel and Cassandra with a frown. "I'd rather not bring it up in front of those two until he gives us the okay. Are we clear?"

"Yeah, yeah – I get it. It's just…." He shrugged, looking down at his friends. "It's just all this time we've been working with the knight who saw the Holy Grail and none of us ever guessed. I have to wonder what else we haven't been told about this place."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For right now – let's work on this case." She moved back to the table and started to read the forensics reports again.

At St. Albans College

"What are we doing here?" Jenkins asked, looking around at the older, run-down buildings.

"We're going to find someone who can tell us what these victims had in common." Arthur said, scanning the grounds with a keen eye.

Jenkins sighed in annoyance. "You could have come alone or waited till your sister returned."

"But then we wouldn't be able to have this little talk." Arthur grinned and started down a path.

"We have nothing to talk about!" Jenkins growled, following behind him.

Arthur whirled to face the older man. "How long are you going to do this? How long are you going to blame me for young Arthur's death at the hands of Mordred?"

"What! I never…"Jenkins sputtered, appalled by the accusation.

"I told you why Merlin and I did what we did. I could have easily usurped the man's throne without much effort. No one would have ever known I wasn't Uther's son. Even Merlin would have supported that. But I didn't, did I? I kept my word to the young soldier and to his mentor and walked away from the throne."

Jenkins clenched his fists in anger. "You lied to us. I swore fealty to you and you stood there and accepted my sword knowing you were not Arthur."

"I was Arthur – Arthur the Wanderer, Arthur, son of the Dragon, Arthur Prince of Sorcerers. I acted at the behest of the Once and Future King of Britain to help unite the tribes and protect those who needed protection. You swore fealty to that dream, not just to me. And I NEVER betrayed that." Arthur turned back to the patch and walked quickly towards one of the larger facilities, ignoring his companion.

Jenkins watched the man go, his anger draining from him. He hesitated, looking back towards the door they had exited. "Arthur, wait!" he called out. He walked swiftly up to his companion. "Who are we looking for here?" he asked, gripping his companion's shoulder.

Arthur looked down at the hand on his shoulder for a moment, and then gave his companion a crooked smile. "In these small, private colleges there is one person who might know everything that was happening on the campus and that would be the Dean's secretary. We'll ask in the office if she is still on campus or where she might be found."

"And, of course, they will tell you whatever you want to know?" Jenkins asked sarcastically.

"My sister isn't the only one who can charm people."

Back at the annex

Baird was beginning to worry. Jenkins and Arthur had been gone over two hours. Rowan was also still missing in action, leaving the Librarians and their Guardian to dig through the mounds of paper the murders had generated. "If Jenkins and his buddy don't call in soon" she thought, glancing over at Stone.

The doors flew open and Rowan charged in, two cups of Café du Monde coffee in her hands. "Let me guess – he's off again isn't he?" she said, looking around in annoyance. She kicked the doors closed behind her. "I can't leave that boy alone for a minute."

"What did you find out?" Baird asked.

"Madame Laveau and I had a long talk with the elder Mr. Lewis. He's quite the talker once you get him primed." She lay the cups on the table and pulled a page from her pocket, laying it on the table.

"What's that?" Jones asked, trying to read the tiny writing.

"A list of people, people who were involved with the event that started this nightmare."

The doors flew open again and Arthur and Jenkins ran in. "We found something" Arthur growled.

Rowan walked up to her brother and punched him in the shoulder. "That's for disappearing without telling me where you were going."

Jenkins grinned, looking less dour. "It would seem she knows you well."

Arthur rolled his eyes and rubbed his shoulder. "She's just annoyed. If she were really angry she's have gone for something more painful."

"So what did you find?" Rowan asked, standing with her hands on her hips in front of her brother.

Arthur looked over at the table and then down at his sister. "What did you find?"

Rowan sighed. "You first."

Jenkins pulled a photo from his coat. "This is a portrait of the members of an unofficial club formed on the grounds of St. Albins – the Society of the New Dawn. It was made up of young men with an interest in magic. The photo was taken during a Halloween party on campus." He handed the photo to Baird with a flourish. "Some of them should look familiar to you Col. Baird."

Baird scanned the image quickly, picking out most of the victim's they knew about. "Someone is working their way through this club's membership" she commented, handing the photo to Stone. "I wonder why?"

"That's where my story starts" Rowan replied. "According to the elder Mr. Lewis, his nephew came to him at the behest of the membership looking to score some small trinket to work some real magic during one of their meetings. He says he refused, but later discovered that a small token he had been preparing to box up for an anonymous client had disappeared. The token was supposed to be used by his client to avenge themselves against an enemy by way of a vengeance demon so you can imagine his dismay when it disappeared from his shop."

"This list?" Baird asked, holding up the page Rowan had brought with her.

"A listing of the people his nephew admitted were there the night they tried to make the token work. He had also convinced Maya and her friend to come to the party that night. The toad didn't mention that they would need blood to bribe the demon to enter this realm."

"Why not use their own blood?" Cassandra asked thoughtfully.

"Probably due to concern for their own skins" Arthur replied in disgust.

"According to the old man the boys had been drinking all night. Most of them really didn't think anything would happen if they performed the ritual and were surprised when the demon made its entrance." Rowan pulled out a chair and sat, suddenly tired. "The murdered girl, Amy Jennings, was drunk and scared. She tried to run when things started to get freaky and the demon ripped her apart. Maya became catatonic, which probably saved her life. Mathias's nephew was able to bring the event to an end but it was too late. The men were scared out of their minds and called Mathias to help them. He used some minor items in his inventory to clean things up and remove as much of the memory from Maya's mind as he could."

Arthur growled expletives under his breath. "Cowards!"

Jenkins laid a hand on the man's arm. "Steady. Remember the last time you grew annoyed in a place as flammable as this?"

Arthur glanced at his sister and shrugged. "It wasn't a good scene." He gave Jenkins a crooked smile, something that was not lost on the group.

Rowan shook her head, a wry smile on her face. "So fire was always your weapon of choice? That would have been nice know. Anyway, Mathias has been using this event as way to keep his business afloat for the last few years, blackmailing the men on that list for small amounts where necessary. It seems he recorded the group's pleading with him to help them so he had something to hold over their heads and then used magic artifacts to make sure they couldn't find the evidence. Once he retired he gave the recording to his nephew. I'm betting Vincent pushed his luck and someone on that list decided that they were tired of shelling out blackmail – especially to someone who was equally guilty."

"But his murder was different from the others" Cassandra pointed out. "The blood wasn't the same."

"So someone started killing the others on the list after they killed him?" Stone looked back at the photo. "Our last victim isn't in this photo either."

"His murder may have been the trigger for the unsub." Baird looked back at Jones. "Do we have anything more on Maya's sister?"


	22. Chapter 22

Rowan took the photo from Baird and looked at it intently. "Madame Laveau managed to get some information about Abby from Mathias before I got there. Seems she contacted him after his nephew was killed wanting to know what he knew about her sister. She had been in contact with Vincent right before his death and he had promised to tell her what had happened that night. Mathias wasn't happy about his nephew's promising her answers, especially since those answers were complicated by the whole blackmail issue. He also had the impression she might have already known more about that night than she was letting on."

"Interesting" Arthur mused. "Did he happen to mention anything about the token the boys used to call up the demons?"

"He left it with his nephew with strict instructions to bury it on consecrated ground. Again – I got the impression that he didn't believe that had happened." Rowan absently tapped the group photo. "I wonder…"

"Wonder what?" Stone asked.

"What if Maya remembered what she saw that night? It would explain why she would kill herself after all those years of bouncing from pillar to post. She might have told someone – maybe her therapist - what she saw and when they didn't believe her she took the final way out." Rowan looked up at her brother somberly. "Her sister was her last living relative. Maybe Maya left something in writing that Abby found and when she confronted Vincent he decided to come clean."

"And someone decided that wasn't a good idea and killed him, setting the scene to make the authorities think it was some crazy who wandered into the shop." Stone frowned, the story not setting well with him. "But what about the others? Are we saying that Abby is a suspect in those murders?"

Arthur shrugged. "It wouldn't take strength to kill – just the token, the ritual to call forth the creatures and the rage to power the spell."

"So how do we found out if we're right?" Baird asked, looking at the group.

"We put ourselves in the line of fire." Arthur looked at the Librarians, evaluating their apparent strengths and weaknesses. "We confront the demons and their summoner."

" Col. Baird - a word please?" Jenkins motioned the Guardian to him, moving off towards the stairs.

Baird followed the older man, puzzled. "What is it?"

"This is not a wise move" he said, nodding towards Arthur and the group.

"Why not? You fought at his side once. Granted that was a long time ago…"

"And I would probably do so again" he replied, keeping the young man in his field of view. "He is a masterful strategist, capable of using soldiers like weapons to best effect. But there is a problem - he doesn't know the Librarians and how they are accustomed to working any more than you did when you first became their Guardian. He doesn't have the time to discover the best way to work with them. And if worse comes to worse he's capable of sacrificing the group to accomplish his goal."

Baird frowned, looking back at the group. "What about his sister? Can we leverage her to keep him in line?"

"I have no idea" Jenkins admitted. "I had never met her before now. But I suspect if she cares for him as much as he does her than she might see us as expendable."

Arthur glanced at the duo by the stairs with interest. "Any bets he's warning her not to let me run this battle."

"Would he be any happier with me in charge?" Rowan asked grimly.

"He doesn't know you as well as I do" Arthur said. He reached out and randomly pulled out one of the photos found at the crime scenes. "So – divide and conquer or frontal assault?"

"Normally I'd go frontal assault but this time we need to take the summoner out of the picture so let's divide and conquer. You want to take the old knight with you or have him come with me?"

Arthur frowned, mentally plotting out a two pronged battlefield. "I don't get the impression he normally goes out with the group. So let's divide the Librarians first and worry about him later."

"I have dibs on the Guardian" Rowan replied, rubbing her hands together.

"I'll take the cowboy." Arthur examined the remaining two with a jaundiced eye. "The other two are not going to work well with me. I have little patience with civilians in the battlefield."

"They are Librarians. Shouldn't they be capable of handling themselves?" Rowan frowned, examining Cassandra's girly attire.

"If you believe that I have a bridge to sell you" Arthur replied sarcastically.


	23. Chapter 23

Jenkins and Baird somberly returned to the group. "Let's discuss our next move" Baird started, sitting on the edge of the table.

"My brother and I have a suggestion for what it is worth to you" Rowan replied, glancing at her brother. He nodded and motioned for her to continue. "Under normal circumstances we'd go hot and take the fight straight to the demon realm."

"I'm suddenly having flashbacks" Jenkins murmured. "Very unpleasant flashbacks."

Rowan sighed. "Yes, well, we're not going to do that. Our suggestion would be a two pronged attack, one group to open the door to the demon realm and block it off. The second group will approach Abby and see if she can be neutralized in any way short of murder."

"Murder?" Cassandra asked nervously.

"People die" Rowan shrugged. "It happens. Abby may be nothing more than a grieving sister but she's using dark forces to take her revenge. That makes her a problem – one that needs to be dealt with."

"You're a blood thirsty sort, aren't you" Ezekiel said with a grin.

"You have no idea" Arthur snorted. "So – I'll work with the cowboy…"

"My name is Stone" Jake snarled.

"Yes, I know. You're mind is an open book. Best you make sure nothing falls out."

Rowan sighed. "Can we continue please? Arthur will work with Mr. Stone to keep the door to the demon realm closed and Col Baird and I will talk to Abby. I think we'll be slightly less intimidating than having two strange men land on her doorstep, especially if she remembers seeing Mr. Stone from the last time we were in the neighborhood."

"What about us?" Cassandra asked.

"Cassandra, Mr. Jones and Jenkins will remain here in the library to anchor us to this reality and to act if we need back-up." Rowan glanced over at Baird, watching her face as she processed what was being planned.

"No" Jenkins walked up to Arthur, agitated. "This is a bad idea. I will accompany you instead of Mr. Stone. I've fought at your back before."

"That was a long time ago, old friend" Arthur replied quietly. "I need you here to watch the door back to this realm. If it's the reality I think it is then I'll need you here to watch my back."

"Agreed" Baird nodded at Rowan, and then gathered up the photos from the crime scenes. "What do we do with these?"

Arthur pulled one out of the stack. "We'll need one to open the door." He took the rest of the stack from Baird and dropped them on the floor in front of him. "As for the rest…" He looked down at the prints with a frown, his eyes unfocused. A tiny plume of smoke started to rise from the stack, changing quickly to flames as the combustible materials ignited.

Rowan looked around, spotting a small fire extinguisher hidden behind a bookcase. "Cassandra, would you hand me the extinguisher please before this idiot brother of mine sets the whole library on fire?"

Her brother looked at her, his eyes focusing on her face. He smiled grimly. "You worry too much."

"Not really" Jenkins groused, taking the extinguisher from Cassandra and soaking the now destroyed prints. "You don't worry enough about what your power can do."

"Now that's a story I'd like to hear" Baird laughed. "Let's get moving before someone else on this list ends up in the Morgue."

An Hour later

Ezekiel poked at the laptop, bored with the lack of activity around him. He hadn't actually wanted to go with either group but being left behind with Cassandra (who was obsessing about what might be happening to the others and was starting to be annoying). To amuse himself, he had started an image search using the photo he had taken of Arthur at the museum, searing the web for some trace of their mysterious guest. So far nothing had turned up.

"Do you think they are alright?" Cassandra asked for what felt like the millionth time.

"They've only been gone an hour" Ezekiel replied, trying not to yawn. "How much trouble could they get into in an hour?"

Cassandra stood looking over his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to find something on our mysterious Arthur and his sister. Bloke kind of looks like that guy from Lord of the Rings movie."

"Which guy?" Cassandra asked with a frown. "I've read the book but I've never seen the movies."

"Your loss, they were awesome. Arthur reminds me of the guy that is part of the Fellowship who tries to steal the Ring from Frodo, the one called Borimir. Here's hoping he doesn't end up being just like him."

"Does it matter?" Cassandra stared back at the Annex back door. "I hope every thing is okay."

Ezekiel rolled his eyes. "You worry too much."

At the entrance to the demon realm

Stone looked out at the fog shrouded landscape. Behind him, a door leading into the Library stood open. "Gloomy." He pulled his jacket close, trying vainly to stay warm. "Tell me again why we had to use a door in the interior of the Library to get here? Why didn't we just use the Annex back door?"

"Trust me, gloom is a good thing." Arthur pulled his jacket closer, flipping the collar up. "You don't want to know what's hidden behind that fog. And as for the door…" He moved quietly closer to the illuminated opening. "That is what this door was created for – to enter another realm."

Stone glanced at his companion with his arms crossed. "Is now a good time to mention that I don't have a weapon?"

"Hopefully I won't need for you to be armed" Arthur replied, glancing back at the older man. "If push comes to shove my magic should keep them at bay. All I need from you is some warning if you see anything coming our way."

"Can't see my hand in front of my face" Stone groused. "How am I supposed to tell you if someone is coming across the field if I can barely see you?"

Jenkins voice came through the doorway. "My lord, this is not wise. You need another blade."

"I have another blade" Arthur agreed. "But she hasn't made it this far yet. I suspect it won't be long now. And I need you to stay in the doorway to keep the door from closing behind us."

"You expect your sister and Col. Baird to come into this realm?" Jenkins asked, appalled.

"We'll see."

At Abby Tanner's home

"Looks like no one is home." Baird peered into the open door. The apartment, small and run-down, looked deserted.

"She was here" Rowan replied, poking at a cup still on the small kitchen table. "It's still somewhat warm."

Baird carefully looked into the small bedroom, noticing that housekeeping was not someone's strong point. The bed was unmade, clothes were scattered around the room and newspapers were piled up near the dresser. She carefully pulled open the closet door and stepped back with a start. "You need to see this."

Rowan came silently into the room and stopped, her eyes scanning the door quickly. "Interesting. I've seen this before – it appears Abby has been keeping up with the different murders. Any sign of any more of those photos that were sent to the victims?"

"Not that I can find" Baird opened drawer while Rowan moved furniture, looking in corners and under rugs. Neither found anything of importance.

"So – she's not here and neither are any of the photos. Where could she be?" Baird dropped a sweater on the bed, wrinkling her nose at the dust.

Rowan looked at the living room window with interest. "She was looking out this window when Stone, Cassandra and I first arrived. From here she could have a fairly good view of the pawnshop. I wonder…" She motioned Baird to follow.

The two women waked across the street and casually looked at the barred windows of the now abandoned shop. "There!" Rowan hissed, catching Baird by the arm. "See that? There is a light in the shop?"

Baird stared at the window doubtfully. "Where? I don't see anything?"

"I'm accustomed to seeing in the dark" Rowan replied, tugging on the other woman's arm to lead her to the alley. "Let's see if we can get in back here." She waved a hand gently in the direction of the rear entrance, silently examining for magical impediments. Nothing appeared and the two moved forward into the darkened building.

Baird caught a glimmer of light coming from under a door and the sounds of murmuring. She motioned to her companion and pulled her gun, preparing to take the point. Rowan put her hand over the gun and whispered into the other woman's ear. "That won't help. I have something more effective." She extended her hand and a shimmery Bowie knife appeared in her hand. "Like I said, the blade will appear in whatever form I need – and right now I need something for close-up work."

Baird grimaced at the picture those words brought up then motioned her companion ahead of her. "By all means then – you go first."


	24. Chapter 24

Abby lit the candles and laid the token in the center of the pentagram. Next she laid a photo of her sister and their old family friend Mathias beside the token. "Soon Maya" she thought, tears streaming down her face. "Soon all those evil people who broke you will be broken in their turn. You'll finally be at peace."

She turned to reach for the bowl of blood to complete the circle but found the bowl was gone. "Looking for this?" a voice sounded out of the darkness. Baird and Rowan stepped out of the shadows, each moving in opposite directions to pin the startled woman between them. Rowan was holding the ritual bowl in one hand and her Bowie knife in the other.

"Who are you?" Abby asked, her voice trembling with fear.

"I'm Col. Eve Baird and this is…" the blond looked at her companion, nodding towards their suspect.

"My name is unimportant but if you must you can call me Rowan." The brunette looked into the bowl with interest, tilting the bowl sideways to let the precious blood slowly stream out. "Oops, looks like I've spilled your sacrifice."

"NO!" Abby screamed, leaping forward. She pulled the bowl from the dark haired woman, splashing the blood on herself in the process. "I need this!"

"So do we" Rowan said, grabbing the woman by the shirt and hauled her up in front of her. "You've created a nightmare situation girl. While I have sympathy I can not allow it to continue." She shoved the girl towards the circle. "It's time to end this and close the door for good."

"Wait – what?" Baird turned to her companion, confused. "What are you doing?"

"The circle lets the little piranhas into our world but it also allows us into their world. We've destroyed the other keys and I'm betting she can't conjure anymore. If we close this door and my brother closes the other then they can't come back and continue to kill." Rowan tightened her grip on the struggling woman. "Without her keys to summon the demons…"

"I'll just make more" Abby snarled. "I'll just print it more photos…"

"You can print anything you want" Rowan said with a cold smile. "But you can't create the key. Only Mathias can do that. This was all his idea wasn't it? A way to clean up the mess he left behind without getting his hands dirty. Everything my friends found about you tells me you don't have the brains to have created this spell and certainly not the magic talent. What you do have, though, is the rage. So he essentially created a "spell in a box" – just add water and step back. You don't need to know how it works, all you need is to feel the rage and it all comes together for you."

Baird looked at the pentagram thoughtfully. "So, if we close this down…"

"No!" Abby suddenly shoved the woman holding her and leapt towards the circle, blood dripping from her hands. Rowan reacted immediately, making a shoving motion with her hands and sending the desperate woman head first into the pentagram. A painful light enveloped Abby and the sound of shrieking voices echoed through the room.

"Quick, follow me!" Rowan sang out, jumping into the circle after the other woman. Baird leapt after her, sweeping the picture up as she jumped.

The light blinded them all for a moment and then just as suddenly it was gone, replaced with a blanket of grey fog. Baird couldn't see more than a foot in front of her but she could hear a sound like a fight close by. "Rowan?"

The fight sounds stopped. "Right here Col. Baird" Rowan's voice drifted out of the fog towards her. "Just making sure this little idiot doesn't try to wander off."

"Where are we?" Baird asked somberly.

"Best guess, one of the multitude of demonic realms" Rowan appeared out of the fog, dragging the limp figure of Abby Tanner. "Did you grab the picture before you can through?"

Baird held out the print. "So, now what do we do?"

Rowan took the photo from Baird and crumpled it up in her hand. A puff of smoke appeared to be replaced by flames then just as suddenly by ash. "My brother isn't the only one that can incinerate with a thought."

"You don't know what you've done!" Abby moaned. "We're all trapped here. You've destroyed the only way for us to get back."

"You might not get back but I certainly will." Rowan held out her blade, sweeping the scenery in front of her. Suddenly a path lit up in front of her, leading deeper into the fog. "Follow the yellow brick road "she laughed, starting down the path.

Baird sighed, then grabbed Abby and shoved her down the path.

At the door to the Annex

Stone strained to see into the fog, trying to distinguish between one patch of damp grey ground from the other. "This is not working" he groused.

"Your eyes will adjust" Arthur said, pacing between the door and Stone's position. He stopped besides the opening into the Library and looked at Jenkins somberly. "You and I need to talk."

"Are you finally going to admit that Mr. Stone should be in here and I should be out there?" Jenkins grumbled.

"I can not say what will happen in the next hour but I must ask something of you, old friend, which I fear you will not be willing to give." Arthur stared off into the fog pensively. "I'm almost loath to ask at all."

"Ask." Jenkins responded, frowning at the somber tone to the man's voice.

"We must close this door permanently when my sister and Col. Baird arrived lest what lives out there finds a way to get out into your world. The little demons that killed all our victims are just tools for this creature. They kill and then bring the blood and the fear back to their real Master. Soon, their Master will be strong enough to break through without using his minions. And that we must prevent."

Jenkins felt a wave of dread pass over him. "What would you have me do?"

Arthur looked into his friend's eyes, his face grave. "I need you to promise me, on your "honor as the Grail Knight of Virtue, that you will close this door when I command it no matter what, not even if Rowan and I are not on the right side of it when I call for it."

"No, Arthur" Jenkins shook his head, his face pale. "No. Do not ask this of me, not this."

"I have no one else I can trust." Arthur looked back at Stone pensively."It may not come to this but if it does I must have your word you do this for me."

"No – I will not lock you away in this corner of hell."

"It may not come to this" Arthur repeated. "But if it does for the sake of your young comrades, for the sake of the world beyond your library, you must swear this oath to me. Please!"

Jenkins closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. "I swore an oath to you once, I would keep it if I can. But I beg of you, Arthur, there must be a better way."

"We will see."


	25. Chapter 25

"Do you know where we are going?" Baird strained to see the dark-haired woman in front of her, her knife glowing as it pointed out the path.

"Not a clue. This isn't one of the realms I've explored before for obvious reasons. But the blade will lead us to my brother and my brother will lead us to the door into your library." Rowan's eyes swept the ground before her, looking for anything that might knock them off the path.

"Okay – so what do we do when we get there?" Baird watched Abby shuffle along the path between herself and Rowan.

"Then we shut the door."

"I think we left the token back at the pawnshop."

"Not a big problem." Rowan glanced back, making sure her companions were close behind her. "Your librarians can retrieve it…DOWN!"

Baird grabbed Abby and dove for the ground, feeling rather than seeing the dark figure that flew over her towards the dark haired woman. She glanced up to see a bizarre figure swinging its taloned arms at Rowan. The other woman's silver dagger flashed out, slicing into the pale flesh, gore flying everywhere. The fight didn't last long and the creature screamed as Rowan drove her blade into its neck, finally killing it.

"What the hell is that?" Baird asked tensely, dragging Abby up off the ground.

"One of our little killers, servant to the creature behind all the pain." Rowan kicked the creature over on its back. Baird stared in horror at the eyeless features of a face dominated by mostly long, sharp teeth.

"This is what all those people saw before they died?"

"This and probably a few more of its cousins." Rowan cleaned her blade on the creature's skin then turned back to the path. "We can't stay here. This one was probably a scout. The others will converge on this position soon enough. Pick up the pace." She trotted down the path without another word.

"You heard the lady" Baird snarled at the shivering girl beside her. "Start running."

Back at the Annex

Jenkins straddled the open doorway, shifting his feet to find a comfortable position. He could barely make out Stone's form through the fog. Arthur moved in and out of his field of vision, melding with the damp grey atmosphere as he paced the ground waiting for his sister to appear. "She had better show up soon" Jenkins thought irritably.

"Mr. Jenkins?" a soft voice drifted down the hallway towards him. Cassandra and Ezekiel approached to door hesitantly.

"What are you two doing here?"

"Cassandra started to get nervous when no one came back." Ezekiel peered through the open door at the bleak landscape. "Real vacation spot you're guarding there."

Jenkins sighed. "If you two are going to be here then I suggest you stand on this side of the door. We wouldn't want you to get lost."

"Has the door always been here?" Cassandra asked.

"Possibly" Jenkins answered hesitantly. In truth, he had never notice this particular door in the Annex but the library was so huge anything could be hiding in the corridors. He suspected, however, that the door had appeared because of the photos that Arthur had brought into the facility.

"What are we waiting for?" Ezekiel asked, leaning into the doorway to get a better look at the landscape.

Jenkins gently shoved him back. "Don't get too close."

Arthur appeared suddenly at the doorway. "I can feel her close by. And something else is coming behind her, something dark." He motioned with one hand and a Roman Gladius, a short, dangerous sword, appeared. He handed the blade to Jenkins somberly. "You might need this."

"What about Jake?" Cassandra asked a worried tone to her voice.

Arthur glanced back at the stocky man behind him. "Galeas has fought at my back before. I can trust him with a blade in his hand. I'm not so sure of your friend."

Jenkins hefted the blade thoughtfully. "A little shorter than I am accustomed to" he murmured.

"You'll do fine" Arthur replied with a cold smile. "You always were a quick study."

In the time of Camelot

"Don't drop your shoulder!" Arthur roared, swinging a practice blade at the young squire, knocking the boy's blade from his hand. "If you do that during a battle it will be your last mistake."

"Have pity, Arthur, not everyone was born with their sword in their hand." Galeas walked over and motioned the boy to the side. "Why don't you and I show the boy how it's done?"

"Because the last time you and I sparred I had bruises for a week" Arthur laughed, tossing his blade to the squire and waved him off. "You're too good for me, Galeas. If anyone was born with a sword it was you."

Galeas smiled, glad to see his friend was in a better mood. Since they had arrived to find the monastery deserted Arthur had been morose on a good day and coldly angry on a bad day. "I've had a lot more practice than that boy, Arthur."

"Perhaps" Arthur agreed, slapping his young friend on the back. "I'll not spar with you little brother, but I'd be willing to practice with bow. That weapon you still need some work with." He watched as the young pages and squires scurried around, working to keep the camp organized and practicing with their weapons. He glanced somberly back at his friend. "Here's hoping one day knowing how to kill won't be something every young buck must learn."

Back in the Annex

"Mr. Stone" Arthur called out, turning to back to the figure in the fog. "A moment if you please."

Stone trotted back, following the dim light coming through the door, then stopped suddenly. "Wait, I here someone coming." He turned and started to move in the direction of the sounds.

"Stop! Don't move another step!" Arthur barked, his own sword appearing in his hand. The light from the blade was brilliant and white, almost blinding to look at. "Stay right where you are Mr. Stone, where you can still be seen from the doorway." Arthur looked down at the younger Librarians thoughtfully. "This is probably a mistake but - you two stand right here, one foot in the Annex and one foot in this realm. Do not come completely through the door or you will trap us all. Galeas, you stand just inside the door and keep your eyes on the light from my blade. If I call, follow its light to where I am." He turned and ran back towards Stone, giving the other man a quick push back towards the door as he passed him.

"What's going on?" Stone called out as Arthur ran past him.

"Nothing good" Jenkins muttered, shifting the blade between his hands, trying to find that comfortable fit his blade had once had in his hand.


	26. Chapter 26

Baird ran, dragging the struggling, weeping Abby behind her. "For Christ's sake – shut up!" Baird snarled, trying to keep Rowan and her glowing blade in view. "Do you WANT them to find us?"

"They will find us no matter what!" Abby wept, trying to pull away from the Guardian. "Just because they can't see us doesn't save us. They can probably smell us."

"That's probably true" Rowan said, skidding to a halt. "But you don't have to make it easy for them. So either you shut up or I'll leave your scrawny ass here for them to feast on while we get to the exit." She swept the fog with her blade, looking for the path again. A faint glow appeared in the distance. "There! That glow! It's my brother's blade. I would recognize that light anywhere." She waved her sword above her head, allowing the blade's shinning surface to light up the sky above her head. The distant glow stopped moving then started waving in the same way, its light growing.

"Move it!" Baird grabbed the still sobbing girl and hurled her in the direction of the distant glow.

At the Door to the Annex

Arthur stared into the fog, his eyes narrowing. "There she is. It's hard to tell due to the fog but I'd say she's around two hundred yards ahead of us and moving fast."

Jenkins stared ahead, his eyes just barely making out the approaching light. "Can you see anyone behind her?"

"Yes, but they are staying in the fog where they think I can't see them. They are waiting for their Master." Arthur glanced back at the older man, and then manifested a Marine K-Bar in his free hand. He extended the hilt to Jenkins and jerked his head at Stone. "Get your boy ready."

Stone edged carefully towards the duo, keeping the Annex door at his back. He took the blade from Jenkins and hefted it carefully. "This for me?"

"You may need it" Arthur replied, turning back to the approaching glow. "Just try not to cut either myself or my sister with it. She takes those sorts of actions personally."

Three women suddenly charged out of the fog, Rowan in the lead. "They are at our backs" she said, skidding to a stop in front of her brother.

"How many?" he snarled, taking up a defensive stance, his sword in this left hand.

"More than two less than twenty – hard to tell in this fog." Rowan moved to her brother's right, her blade extended. "Their Master is behind his little hell hounds, whipping them on. I can feel him."

"As can I. Fall back to the door" he commanded.

"Mathias may be our mastermind, in case you're interested" Rowan commented, moving in step with her brother towards the entrance to the Annex.

"I thought as much" Arthur snarled. "And now is not the time to discuss it."

"You thought as much?" Stone said, flanking Jenkins as they moved with Baird and her prisoner towards the door. "When were you planning on telling us?"

"Not the time, Boy!" Arthur snarled. "We have more pressing issues than discussing the obvious."

"Look at the girl" Rowan gestured with her free hand towards Abby. "When you get back and look at the evidence you'll see she doesn't have the intellect or capability to plan and implement this plan even if it had no magic component."

"NOT NOW!" Arthur took another step back, sweeping the air with his sword.

Abby screamed suddenly as several of the eyeless demons suddenly leapt out of the fog. She scrambled out of their way, barreling into Stone as she tried to run for the door. Stone fell, one of the demons clawing at his face. He squirmed away from the creature, slashing at it with the K-Bar. The creature howled in pain as the razor sharp edge sliced its face open.

"Stone!" Baird jumped to the defense of her charge, kicking the injured monster away as Jenkins skewered another while Arthur and Rowan dispatched the others. "He's hurt!"

"Get him back to the Annex" Arthur ordered.

"It's here!" Abby screamed, pointing a trembling finger into the fog. "It's here! It's come for us!"


	27. Chapter 27

Jenkins moved behind Arthur and his sister, positioning himself between the Librarians and the sword wielding duo. "Sire, we must go!"

"Not yet" Arthur growled. "Move your people back to the door. This isn't something they are prepared to deal with."

"Arthur." Rowan's voice was cool and controlled. "Look into the fog. See what's coming."

Arthur stared intently into the fog then looked at his sister. "It is as I feared. It begins, sister. Shields up!" Both magic users held out their free arms and materialized shields. Arthur's was a tall, kite shield that went from his eyes to almost his ankles. Rowan's was a round shield, covering her mid-section. They began to move slowly backwards in lock-step, keeping the others behind them.

Jenkins also began to move backwards slowly, though he couldn't see what it was that concerned Arthur. "Col. Baird, can you get Mr. Stone and Ms. Tanner to the door without assistance? Ms. Killian and Mr. Jones are in the doorway if you need them."

"Keep them on the threshold!" Rowan commanded, not looking back. "If they both move completely into the library or into this reality that door will close and we will all be trapped."

"Understood." Jenkins replied, chancing a quick glance at Baird.

Baird grabbed Abby by the arm and hauled her to her feet. The younger woman had gone suddenly quiet, her eyes bulging in their sockets. "Hey! Wake up! Get on your feet and move!" Baird shoved her none to gently in the direction of the library's light.

The girl seemed frozen, her shoulders hunched as though she expected a blow. She was shivering uncontrollably, tears streaming wordlessly down her face.

Stone, cradling his injured arm against his chest, handed Baird his K-Bar and took the terrified girl by the arm. "Come on darling," he said softly, talking to the terrified woman gently, as though she were a spooked horse. "Let's get out of this bad place and go some place warm. Don't be scared, just come with me." He pulled on her arm gently, wincing at the pain jolted through his arm. Slowly, the dazed woman started moving towards the door.

"How bad is it?" Baird asked.

"It's not bad" Stone said, trying to keep his voice steady. He looked down at the blood starting to pool from his arm. "But we'd better get out of here soon before those creatures make another try…"

Another eyeless creature appeared suddenly, leaping at the scent of blood coming from the man's arm. Baird slashed at the beast, ripping at its face. The screams seemed to set off others of its kind who started to move out of the fog towards the sounds. "Move faster." Baird said, putting herself between the injured Stone and the enemy.

"Galeas, help your friends" Arthur commanded, taking another step back, his sister moving with him.

"Col. Baird has this under control" Jenkins slashed at two of the creatures who were trying to work their way behind the armed group.

"She won't for long" Rowan said, not looking back. "The girl is catatonic and the man will go into shock soon if the bleeding isn't stopped soon. She can't carry them both. And what watches us from the darkness will not wait for long."

Jenkins chanced a look at Baird and Stone and saw that Rowan was right. Stone's injury was deeper than he was admitting and Abby Tanner was almost stopped in her tracks, her eyes staring off into space. "Damn it!" he growled, moving quickly to help. He and Baird struggled to get the woman to the door, shoving her unceremoniously over the threshold with Baird helping Stone into the library.

Arthur and Rowan moved back another few steps, watching the fog intently. They could both see the distant form stalking towards them, a huge, horned head with what looked like a tail whipping about it. "We need to end this soon." Rowan murmured.

"Agreed" Arthur replied, his voice troubled. "But I think he will never forgive me for this."

"Better for him to be angry then dead" Rowan insisted. "He will not leave you unless you do this. He maybe immortal in his realm but here…"

"I know" Arthur agreed. He listened for a moment, raising his shield to look at his mirrored surface. He waited for a moment until Jenkins had turned back from the door. "Forgive me, old friend." Arthur said softly.

Jenkins looked up in time to see Arthur whirl around and making a pushing motion towards him. He felt, rather than saw, the force of the spell hitting him in the chest and taking him off his feet. He hit Cassandra and Ezekiel as he fell back, taking them with him into the library. His last sight before the door slammed shut was a monstrous form charging out of the fog towards his friend. The last thing he heard from the man he had once willingly followed into battle was the sound of roaring mixed with an incoherent battle cry. Then the door closed and disappeared, leaving nothing but a bare wall behind.

"NO!"


	28. Chapter 28

Jenkins leapt back to his feet and stared at the bare wall with anger. "You FOOL! You arrogant Fool!"

"Jenkins, what just happened?" Baird asked trying to wrap Stone's injured arm.

"That madman has closed the door between realms! He's trapped himself and his sister with that creature and we can't get to them." He slapped the wall in frustration.

"But there has to be another way to get to them!" Cassandra picked herself up off the floor gingerly. "Maybe we can get another copy of that photo?"

"The photo is just a token, a way to channel the spell's energy to open the door. Without the spell attached to the photo nothing will happen." Jenkins looked down at the cowering form of Abby Tanner. "She'll be no help."

Stone looked at the older man with a frown. "Give the kid a break. She's just seen something that's terrified her."

"Yes and my oldest friend and his young sister are trapped with that thing in a place where I can't get help to them." Jenkins started back down the darkened corridor to the main room in the Annex. "But I think I know someone who can reach them."

"Who?" Baird called to him.

"The man who started this nightmare in the first place. Mathias Lewis."

In New Orleans

Mathias Lewis walked quickly down the misty New Orleans streets, nervously looking down the streets to make sure no one was following him. The streets of the French Quarter were usually crowded with tourists but the weather was keeping most of them indoors. The beauty and magic of the city had always entranced him but today something was off. Abby hadn't called in as she normally did after a strike. And his normal contacts in the magic world wouldn't return his calls. Something (or someone) had warned them all off. "Stupid girl" he groused to himself, kicking a can out of his way. "Just like her sister. She's done something to attract attention to us. Good thing I won't need her anymore. After this last kill the Master will be able to reach through and drag her into the Darkness and I will be free."

Across the street a pair of dark eyes watched the little man stroll quickly around the Quarter, picking up the last items he needed before returning to Florida. A dark-skinned beauty stood hidden in the shadows, a small doll in her hands, a doll that bore an uncanny resemblance to the old man the woman was watching. It was even wearing a strand of his hair, surreptitiously gathered when the old man visited a barber in the Quarter. She murmured something quietly in French holding the doll gingerly in one hand while she motioned over it with the other. The doll burst into flames, burning quickly as she dropped it in to the alley. "There, ma petite belle that should please you." She laughed as the sound of a man's terrified screams filled the air.

At the Annex back door

Jenkins walked out of the Annex door onto the streets of the French Quarter with Baird following closely behind him. "Why are we here?" Baird asked.

"Rowan found Mathias Lewis was in New Orleans. It's possible he is still here." Jenkins started across the street to the spice shop he had noticed from the last time the door had opened.

Baird followed him quickly across the street. "Jenkins, stop! What good is this going to do?"

"Arthur said Rowan had friends, maybe friends who can help us get that door to open." Jenkins stopped in front of the spice shop, jiggling the locked door in frustration.

"Jenkins, even if we did find someone to open that door there is no guarantee we can get help to Arthur and Rowan in time."

"He'll survive. That's what he does. And he'll make sure she survives – he won't risk loosing her again." Jenkins looked down the street with a frown. "What's going on down there?"

Baird looked down the street as an ambulance screeched to a stop. "Someone's been hurt."

Jenkins hands clenched into fists. "I have a bad feeling about this."

They walked to the end of the block, trying to blend in with the few visitors and locals that were walking about and watched as a body was loaded into the ambulance. "What's going on?" Baird asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Some tourist had a heart attack and dropped dead" a street performer said with a bored tone. "Some retiree from Florida."

Baird felt her stomach drop. "Wow, that's sad. Listen, a friend of ours told us he was taking a stroll down here. He's had some medical issues lately – hope that this wasn't him. Don't suppose you happen to hear his name?"

"Yeah – one of the cops found his id in his pocked. Said the guys name was Mathias Lewis."

Jenkins sighed then turned on his heel. "That was our last hope, Col. Baird. Without Lewis there is no way to get the door open."

"I wouldn't worry about it, mon amie" a cheerful voice drifted out of the alley. A woman strolled out of the darkness, her jewelry tinkling in the silence. "There is nothing worth seeing behind that door, not anymore."

"Madame Marie Leveau?" Jenkins bowed slightly, his face stony.

"And you are the chevalier my petite ami told me about. I am honored sir." She curtseyed slightly and smiled brightly at Baird. "And you must be the formidable lady soldier she also spoke of."

"I don't suppose you know anything about what happened back there?" Baird jerked her head back at the ambulance.

"Just a little unfinished business that my friend asked me to deal with" Marie shrugged, unconcerned. "It was a small thing easily finished."

"Your friend, Madame Leveau, and her brother are trapped in a nightmare world and that man was their only hope." Jenkins pointed angrily in the direction of the crowd. "Without him and his spell we can't get that door open to help them."

"Maybe you can help us?" Baird asked, watching the woman's face closely. There was something off, something Madame Leveau wasn't saying, something that Baird suspected Jenkins wasn't going to really want to hear.

"No, sadly, I can not." Marie replied regretfully. "And even if I could, I would not. I am a small player in a larger world of magic and it would not be profitable for me to take a side in this larger battle."

"Profitable?" Jenkins voice had turned cold and deadly. "She was your friend."

"And her brother was yours" Marie agreed, turning to walk back down the alley. "But friendship is a fragile thing. My petite and I have traded favors in good faith for many years. But I have known them both long enough to know that nothing is EVER as it seems. They may, in fact, be already dead. Or they may still fight the creature they found in that dark realm. They might even have escaped. Who can say? Either way, my part in this has come to an end as has yours. Accept that, chevalier, and you will be better off." The woman walked into the shadows and disappeared, leaving the scent of flowers and burning candles in her wake.


	29. Chapter 29

Six weeks later

It had been nearly six weeks since Arthur and his sister had slammed the door between the Library and the dark realm. Other adventures had come and gone, Prospero had been defeated and Flynn was now spending more time with Baird and the other Librarians. Jenkins had not spoken about his friend since his return from New Orleans and the younger Librarians had honored his grief by not pushing him to talk. Stone had put the document that had started that particular adventure back on the shelf where he had first seen it.

Baird somberly watched the group from the top of the stairs with Flynn beside her. "Things seem to have quieted down quite a bit since we defeated Prospero."

"Magic is still loose in the world" Flynn replied, watching as Jenkins brought the tea service into the main room. "There are still adventures to be had, stories to be told…"

Baird sighed. "Jenkins is still too quiet. I think he's still grieving his friend's loss."

"Have you talked to him about it?" Flynn asked, watching the Caretaker with a frown.

"Shouldn't that be your job?" Baird replied, watching the group closely.

"Probably" Flynn said hesitantly. "But you're closer to him than I am. I'm inclined to leave it alone unless he's willing to bring it up."

"I thought I was too" Baird admitted, watching the older man hand Stone a cup. "But I'm worried about him. He disappears for hours into the Library every so often and no one knows where he goes. I think in his head he knows by now that there isn't anything he could have done or can do now for his friend but his heart…"

"Did you ever tell me what happened to the girl Abby?" Flynn took his guardians hand, intertwining their fingers.

"A friend of mine - Ellen Raider - from my time with counter-terrorism now works in a psychiatric unit. She was able to get her some help. She's still pretty out of it and the story she keeps repeating about the demon realm isn't helping. My friend thinks that Abby's sister committing suicide probably triggered a psychotic episode but my friend thinks eventually she may come out of her delusions." Baird looked down at her hand and leaned into Flynn. "I couldn't tell Ellen that it wasn't a delusion so I suspect she's in that hospital for a very, very long time."

"It could be worse" Flynn said, looking down at the table. "She could have become a sacrifice for a demon."

Jenkins could feel Baird's eyes on him as he moved around the table. The Guardian had been kind, not pushing him to talk about what he was thinking or feeling but he knew she wouldn't be able to ignore the situation for long. "Mr. Stone, is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No – I'm good." Stone looked up at the Caretaker somberly. "Listen, can we talk about something privately?"

Jenkins cocked his head and looked at the younger Librarian curiously. "Is there something wrong?"

"No – it's just…." Stone looked more and more uncomfortable. "I was just going to ask about that little chapel, the one you've been disappearing into."

Jenkins sighed and motioned the younger man to follow him. "Let's talk in my workroom."

The two men left the main room and walked into Jenkins workshop. Stone pulled out a chair while the Caretaker started to take apart a small box. "What do you want to know about the chapel Mr. Stone?"

"I was just wondering if it's okay if I would join you sometime. Listen, I know you're still wrapped around the axel about your friend and what happened."

Jenkins motioned him to stop, putting the pieces he had been fumbling with back on the table. "Mr. Stone, please do not concern your self. I'm fine."

"Jenkins, stop. Maybe the others don't want to ask but I can tell you're still upset about what happened."

"Perhaps I am" Jenkins admitted, folding his arms across his chest. "But it does no good to dwell on it."

"Look, I'm just saying…"

"I understand and appreciate your concern but I'll be fine."

A knock on the door interrupted the awkward conversation. Baird stepped in, frowning as Stone rose from his chair. "Jenkins, can I have a word with you?"

Jenkins rolled his eyes and motioned her to enter. "Col. Baird, I will tell you what I've told Mr. Stone just now and Ms. Cillian last week and Mr. Jones the week before that. I will be fine and there is no need for you to be concerned for me. And so that we don't have this same conversation again could you please tell Mr. Flynn that as well?"

"Jenkins, we care about you. That's why we're…"

"Baird! You need to come in here now!" Jones voice was loud and excited.

Baird ran back into the main room followed by Jenkins and Stone. Cassandra, Flynn and Jones were staring at an odd IPad that had not been there before. "What's going on?" Baird asked.

"This just got delivered to the library. The name on the return address was the McCabe Institute." Cassandra looked at the others with worry. "Lucinda McCabe is the head of the Institute. She's also Morgan le Fay. What could she possibly be sending us?"

"There's only one item loaded on the tablet that I can see – some sort of video." Jones propped the device up on a book and turned it on. "Should we…?"

The video began to play before he could finish his sentence. To Baird's horror the scene it showed was that last moment in the fog before the door slammed shut on them as seen from the position of the two people left behind.

In the fog

Arthur whirled back around as one of the eyeless creatures tried to charge around his great shield. He kicked it away and took his place back beside his sister. "It's done. They are safe behind the door."

Rowan gave her brother a sad look. "Pity we aren't. Your friend will not be happy about this. He's not going to understand." She moved a step back, using her shield to push the creatures back that came too close. "This is going to go badly for us – you know that don't you?"

"I know" he answered grimly. "Here he comes!"

The horned creature broke from the fog, sweeping his minions out of his path with his forked tail. He held a long whip in one hand and a sword in the other. The creature grinned evilly at the two before him. "So little wizards, are you here to play a game with me? I am in need of fresh blood and you too will do very nicely."

Arthur and Rowan said nothing. A moment later the creature came crashing down on them, pushing them apart as he tried to rip at the larger man as he seemed the bigger threat. The little creatures hurried around their master to attack the woman, trying to use claws and teeth to pull away her shield and sword. The battle raged back and forth with both the magic users giving as good as they got. But they were outnumbered and soon it would be the end for both of them.

Rowan kicked several of the little creatures out of her way, wincing as the deep injuries to her ribs and arms were pulled. She went to her knees behind a set of boulders her magic called up for her, waiting as her brother pushed off his opponent. Arthur dove behind the stones as well, blood pouring from his wounds.

"We have to close this corridor" Arthur gasped, laying his shield on the ground beside him as he pulled other boulders up out of the ground to protect them. "This little stone fortress we've built won't last long."

Rowan leaned against tiredly against the stone. "I guess there's not a chance of backup arriving in time?"

Arthur also leaned against the stones, looking down at his exhausted sister. "No. It would appear not. Merlin must not have found the door on our end. We'll have to end this alone."

"There's only one way to end this brother. And you know how much I hate it when you have to do this." She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the pain flow through her.

"I don't like the option either but it's all we have left. Are you ready?"

She nodded, then pulled her self up to kneel in front of her brother, her blade on the ground between them. "Let's do it then."

Arthur nodded and reached suddenly behind him, impaling the demon's tail with his own sword and sweeping the rocks away from beside them. He faced his sister and gently leaned to kiss the top of her head as the demon screamed and reached for them. Suddenly Arthur threw his arms out wide and screamed in a voice that sounded like a battle cry of a huge bird of prey. Flames appeared suddenly, sweeping over the two wizards and all their enemies, spreading out quickly as though feeding on gasoline. Arthur and Rowan were turned into blazing torches, each screaming their defiance as the flames overwhelmed them.

The little demons scrambling away in horror were caught quickly by the flames, turning into nauseating piles of burnt flesh. Their horned master was unable to move away, his tail still caught by Arthur's sword. It was also overwhelmed by the waves of flames, its flesh boiled off its bones, bones that soon collapsed as the sinews burned away. Soon all that was left was fire, smoke and ash.

The program ended and the tablet went black.

In the Annex

Cassandra stood beside Ezekiel, tears streaming down her face. "No! That can't be what happened!"

Baird watched, appalled, as the program ended. "That bitch! This is her revenge for what Arthur and Rowan did to her."

Jenkins watched the scene in silence, his face blank. "It maybe you are right, Col. Baird. But I, for one, will not give her the satisfaction of seeing her gift received with anything but disdain." He turned and quickly walked away. Only Stone saw the trembling of his sword hand as he passed.


	30. Chapter 30

Jenkins sat in the small chapel, absently watching the smoke from the tapers he had lit curl up into the shadows. The room was silent, even the ambient library noises he had grown accustomed to were gone. "Some how quite fitting" he thought. "Arthur didn't care much for pomp and circumstance. He would be horrified at great lamentations and weeping over his death." He laid his hand over his heart in salute of the good man he had once known, letting the pain of his grief flow through him.

Stone slid into the pew beside the older man. "Figured you'd be here." The younger man kept his eyes on the front of the chapel, mentally making notes about the beautiful woodwork and stonework used in the altar.

Jenkins sighed. "Mr. Stone, I'm alright. There is no need…"

"I know" Stone replied, his eyes on the altar stone. "Just figured I'd come sit and look at the carvings for a while, just to get my head together."

The old knight smiled sadly. "Yes, they are quite fine. Arthur would have loved them. He was quite fond of religious art." The two men sat without another word.

In the main room, Jones pushed the offending IPad aside. "It was there and now I can't find it. That video was probably designed to play the one time and then disappear."

Baird tossed the tablet across the table to Flynn. "If I EVER get my hands on that …"

"That's exactly what she wants you to do" Flynn commented, pushing the tablet aside.

"She deliberately sent that video knowing how much it would hurt Jenkins to see his friend die. And all because she was angry with Arthur and couldn't hurt him so she went for the next best target." Baird walked up to the Cassandra and put a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

"No" the red-head sniffled. "I'm not okay. That was just so …"

A sudden flare of light filled the room and the Librarians and their Guardian jumped from their seats as though stung. In place of the Ipad there was now a glowing envelope, addressed to Baird in flowing handwriting. "What the heck is this?" Flynn asked, flipping the envelope over and trying to open the flap. Nothing he did however seemed to work, not even using a letter opener. The cut envelope just resealed itself the moment he pulled the blade free. "Seems it only want to deal with you" he said, slightly annoyed.

Baird took the envelope from his hand and opened it, pulling a sheet of cream colored paper from its depths. Another flash of light filled the room, blinding the occupants for a moment.

Flynn recovered first and looked around in surprise. "Where's Eve?"

In the House of Refuge

Baird opened her eyes confused to be standing not in the Annex but in a familiar corridor. The smell of fresh baked scones filled the air around her. A tinkling of fine china seemed to come from the sitting room in front of her. The spirit of the House of Refuge passed her with a tray of sandwiches, motioning with a smile for her to precede him.

"Again?" she thought, slowly approaching the door. "It can't be!" Baird looked into the sitting room to see a familiar, dark-haired figure again sitting on the sofa, a tea cup in her hand.

"Hello Col. Baird. Care for a cup of tea?" Rowan asked with a smile.


	31. Chapter 31

"You're dead!" Baird stared at the woman in disbelief, pulling up a chair.

Rowan smiled. "What makes you say that?" She picked up a bone china cup and poured herself a cup of tea, dropping a lump of sugar into the inky liquid.

"I saw you die. I saw your brother set the two of you and those monsters that were trying to kill you on fire. You burned to nothing but ash six weeks ago."

Rowan's smile faltered. "And how, pray tell, would you now that?"

"Because Morgan le Fey sent us a magic video file showing what happened to you after you slammed that door shut on Jenkins."

The delicate cup Rowan had been holding shattered as she clenched her hand. "That bitch, I knew we should have dealt with her." She looked down at the bits of broken china and blood in her hand. "Did you say six weeks?"

"Yes. It was six weeks ago that you slammed that door and locked the Library out of your battle zone. How can you be here now?" Baird eyed the other woman closely, not seeing anything especially different about her other than her obvious anger.

"Crud, I'd forgotten about that. Time is different in our realm than it is here." Rowan picked up a napkin and started to clean up the mess in front of her."

"Time is different?" Baird asked, skeptically.

"Ask your Librarian. He'll tell you about stories from Ireland about people stumbling into fairy circles and returning years later claiming to have only been gone one night. That's what it's like for us in the realm. For me, it's only been six days since we last spoke, not six weeks."

Baird frowned. "Why did you wait so long to find me again?"

"This would be easier to show you than explain." Rowan tossed her napkin on the table with a flourish.

"Wait!" Baird waved the other woman off. "If you're going to show anything I think it should be to all of us. Take me back to the Library."

"It is done." Rowan said quietly.

Back at the Annex

Jones, Cassandra and Flynn blinked at the sight of Baird suddenly appearing beside the table. "Where did you go?" Cassandra asked, running to her friend.

Baird looked around her with a frown. "Where is she? I thought she was coming with me."

"Who?" Flynn asked, confused.

"Rowan. She's alive and massively ticked off at Morgan for what she did." Baird moved quickly, grabbing the trash can beside the table and upending it. "We need to find her before she scalps the witch or anyone that tries to get between them."

"Baird? Something is coming up on that IPad again." Jones propped the discarded tablet up on a set of books and took a chair in front of it. "Maybe we should get Stone and Jenkins?"

"Get us for what?" Stone asked, walking in with Jenkins beside him. "Why is that thing on? Wasn't watching that nightmare once enough?"

"I don't think this is the same event." Flynn pulled up a chair beside Jones and motioned the others to approach.

Jenkins stiffened. "Why should I wish to watch this?"

Baird touched his arm gently. "Because I think we need to see the rest of the story."

The Rest of the Story

The fog and smoke rolled over the landscape, the scent of burned demonic flesh wafting over the landscape. Two mounds of ash were the only items visible on the flat landscape. One mound resembled a man, his arms outstretched and his face looking up towards the dim sky. The other figure resembled a woman kneeling in front of the man, her head tilted back in a scream. A light in the form of a door appeared in the distance and from it emerged three dark cloaked figures. They moved quietly and carefully over the ruined landscape, stepping over the piles of dead demons to stand beside the two human figures.

"So what do we do now Vlad?" one of the figures asked, sliding the hood back to reveal an older woman with long red hair caught up in elaborate braids. The other two figures also slid off their hoods. One was a young, intense woman, dark haired where the first had been red haired. The third figure was a tall, distinguished man, salt and pepper hair with a craggy face and dark, penetrating eyes.

"Nothing" Vlad said, taking a stand behind the larger of the two figures. "They will wake without our help."

The dark-haired woman moved to stand between her companions, shifting her feet nervously. "How long will that take?"

"Not long" Vlad replied, watching as flakes of ash on the figures started to stir. "In fact, I think the time is now."

A soft breeze enveloped the group, lifting the ashes from the piles and wafting them away. Slowly, a blond head was revealed by the falling ash, followed by tan skin and rough, soldier's hands. The larger figure suddenly stirred itself, rising to its feet and shaking like a suddenly awakened dog to reveal the tall, athletic form of the man known as Arthur.

Arthur looked around him tiredly. "Where's Rowan?"

"She's not awakened yet" the older man replied, putting his hands on Arthur's shoulders.

"Wait – here she comes" the red-haired woman replied. The smaller figure rose suddenly, ashes falling to reveal a very tired Rowan.

"Maharat? What are you and Artemis doing here?" Rowan stretched her arms above here head, working her tired muscles.

"It took Merlin far too long to find the door back to this passage. We should have been at your side sooner my lady." The dark haired woman, Artemis, replied.

"I really should fire that old fraud" Arthur murmured, rubbing the ashes from his eyes.

The older man slapped his hand away. "Don't do that. You'll only end up hurting your eyes with that ash."

Arthur smiled wanly. "Yes father."


	32. Chapter 32

Back in the Annex

"Father? That's Arthur's father?" Cassandra asked excitedly.

"He's alive." Jenkins voice was uncertain as he moved to watch the video. "Why didn't he come back and tell us so before?"

"I was going to come back" a familiar voice sounded from behind them. "Things just got in the way."

The Librarians turned to see the annex back door wide open and two hooded figures standing just in the threshold. They pulled back their hoods to reveal Arthur and his father, both dressed in dark, medieval style clothing. On Arthur's chest was the figure of a bird, blazing with flames in place of its feathers.

"You arrogant ass, I should…" Jenkins stepped forward suddenly, his hands clenched in anger. "You let us believe you were dead!"

"NO! Morgan let you believe I was dead. I didn't even know you had seen what had happened after you went through the door. If she hadn't done that I would have returned to clean up the rest of the story and you would never have known." Arthur stepped forward to stand directly in front of his old friend. He looked down at the man's clenched fists. "Go ahead. Take a swing at me. God knows I deserve it for all I've done."

Jenkins jaw clenched as he looked over his oldest friends face. "I should, you know. After all the lies, after all the deceptions…"

"Yes, you should." Arthur agreed a wry smile on his face. "I really am an arrogant ass to think you could ever forgive me for my using you and then your friends."

Jenkins sighed, the tension suddenly draining out of him. "Are you alright? I mean, really alright?" He gripped the other man's shoulders hard, holding him at a distance.

"He's fine" Vlad replied, walking up and slapping the back of his son's head affectionately. "Sometimes he doesn't think before he acts but other than that he's fine."

Arthur winced. "Dad! That's not helping!" He reached out and gripped Jenkins shoulders affectionately. "Ignore him. Sometimes he acts like I'm still five years old."

Jenkins bit his lip, trying not to let the relieved laughter flood out of him. "Well, sometimes you did act like you were still a teenager."

"Don't go there little brother" Arthur growled, pulling the older man into a bear hug. "I could tell some stories on you that would curl these kind people's hair."

"According to Rowan, for you it's only been six days not weeks" Baird said, glancing back at Flynn.

"Yes, it's an anomaly that exists between the fey world and this one. We rarely think about it because we don't normally go back and forth between realms like this."

"Normally they choose the date and time they will arrive. This time, someone couldn't get out of bed." Vlad's voice was affectionate if slightly exasperated.

"I was tired!" Arthur growled. "It's not easy to call up the flames. Besides which your girl child would still be asleep with her pillow over her head if you hadn't kicked her out of bed."

Vlad smiled. "I was just checking to see if she was still breathing."

"Hey – this vid isn't over!" Jones sang out, pointing back at the IPad.

"Oh crud" Arthur sighed, shaking his head in exasperation.

More of the Rest of the Story

The scene changed as the group walked through the brightly lit door. The scenery became more alive, ivy and trees as far as the eye could see. The door behind them closed, shutting out the smell of burning flesh.

"I need a bath" Rowan murmured, leaning heavily on red-haired Maharat.

"We'll draw you a bath as soon as we get home" dark-haired Artemis replied, absently brushing ashes from her friends back.

"I need a nap" Arthur commented, walking with help from his father.

"First you need a bath" Vlad replied with humor, wrinkling his nose at his son. "You smell like you fell into a bonfire."

"Kind of did" Arthur laughed.

Rowan rolled her eyes at her brother's comment. "Only you could find self immolation funny."

"I'm a Phoenix. What else am I supposed to think of it?"

"You might consider planning a battle instead of just jumping into it" their father replied. "You rely on that little trick too much."

"I've only done it twice" Arthur protested, stopping in his tracks.

"You've done it at least three times" Vlad countered, pulling his son along the path.

"Can we argue about this after we've both had a bath and a nap?" Rowan complained. "I'm not in the mood to have this discussion with him on an empty stomach."

"Are they always this grumpy after the fire?" Maharat asked, a slight smile on her face.

"You have no idea." Vlad smiled in return, gently patting his son on the back as they walked up the path leading to a ….

Back in the Annex

"Is that a castle?" Cassandra asked, her tone awed.

"More fortress than castle" Arthur said, frowning at the IPad. "I'm assuming that was from my sister, right? Where is she by the way?"

Baird looked at him, an uneasy feeling coming over her. "She didn't send you?"

Vlad frowned, looking between his son and the Guardian. "She sent a message telling us to come here, that my son had some explaining to do to his friend. We assumed she would be here to meet us."

"Crud" Baird went back to searching the trash for the packing the IPad had come in. "She's probably gone after Morgan."

Arthur looked at Jenkins with alarm. "We need to find her before she finds the witch. It could be very bad if she finds her."

"How bad?" Stone asked, frowning. "I thought Morgan was one of the bad guys."

"My sister has anger issues. If she is attacked she will lash out with overwhelming force and I fear for anyone in her way."

Vlad snorted in annoyance. "You both have anger issues. She's smart enough to not let it control her."

"We can argue that once we find her."


	33. Chapter 33

Baird threw the wrapping paper on the table in disgust. "No return post mark. No real address for the Foundation. Morgan must have sent this here via magic."

"All the better" Arthur replied, flattening the packaging. "We can use this to track her."

"Using a locator spell?" Vlad questioned, raising one eyebrow. "Don't you need your crystal for that?"

"We may have one" Jenkins said, opening one of the card catalog drawers, pulling a small crystal on a leather strap from its depths. "Will this work?"

"Yes – just the thing." Arthur took the strap from his friend and held it over the paper while murmuring a spell. "Ostendes mihi, Show me." The crystal levitated over the page and swung back and forth over it. Suddenly it stopped and swung around to point in the direction of the door leading to the Library.

"This isn't good" Vlad commented. "I'm assuming that means Morgan is in the library?"

"No" Arthur said somberly. "That means Rowan is. It's her I was looking for. Find her and we'll find Morgan. My sister is relentless."

An improbable sound interrupted the conversation. "Is that … wolves?" Stone asked, incredulously.

Vlad looked at the doorway the crystal had pointed to with a frown. "Your sister is hunting."

"Hunting?" Flynn questioned, looking concerned. "With wolves?"

"Hell hounds actually" Arthur replied, mildly concerned. "She must have tracked the witch here."

"I suspect Morgan has been here all along" Jenkins said with a frown. "It wouldn't make any sense for her to send that nasty piece of video if she couldn't be here to watch the reaction."

"Arthur, can you see where Rowan and Morgan are?" Baird asked.

Arthur swept the table of all the paper and waved his hand over it. An image of the interior of the library, a dark corridor leading to…

"My chapel! The witch is in my chapel!" Jenkins sputtered.

"Both of them are." Arthur growled. "Damn it! She's going to take Morgan on within the confines of the Library. This isn't good. I'd better go fetch my sister back."

"No you won't" Vlad grabbed his son's arm. "I will."

"Father!"

"No. The two of you are still touchy after the burning. If she's angry she will willfully ignore your commands and do what she wants. But she will not ignore me. You are her King – but I am your father."

Arthur glared at the old man then sighed. "You're probably right father. But we both know you can't enter that chapel so you'll need to take someone with you."

"We do?" Vlad looked at his son with amusement. "Do you know something I don't?"

"Dad – this isn't the time. Let Galias go with you – it's his chapel so he can enter it and maybe get Rowan's attention on you."

"Why can't he enter the chapel?" Cassandra asked, confused.

"Maybe he's a vampire" Flynn said, looking at Baird with a knowing smile.

Vlad rolled his eyes. "Really! Is every supernatural being named Vlad to be labeled as a vampire just because of that drunk Irishman's tale?"

"Now is not the time for this" Arthur growled, giving his friend a slight shove towards the door. "Go – fetch my impudent sister back before she insults the spirit of the Library by drawing blood within its house."


	34. Chapter 34

The wolf pack padded silently down the hall, eyes shining in the darkness. Behind them strode their mistress, the Huntress, her crossbow slung over one shoulder. Her boots made no sound on the stone floors as she followed her pack towards their prey. "Silly witch" she thought, watching her wolves move in and out of the shadows. "Does she really think she can hide from me?"

The lead wolf, a huge, dark beast known only as Black Wolf, stopped in front of an ornate door and looked back at his mistress with a whine. "Here!" the beast thought. "Here is where the prey sits. Can we enter?"

"No" Rowan said quietly, running her fingers through the large animals ruff. "If I know my brother, he'll be coming soon to collect me which means my time is limited. I need the pack here to warn me if he approaches."

"What if the Old Dragon comes?" Black Wolf thought, casting a quick glance back down the now foggy corridor. "The pack must honor his commands. If he orders us away from the door we will go."

"I know. Don't fret. When this is done we will have a proper hunt over the sylvan hills." She pulled her gloves from her hands and tucked them in her black leather biker's jacket then pushed open the door.

Inside the chapel's candles cast a glow on the ornate altar. A red-haired figure was seated on the pew, somberly examining the icons. "So, Arthur decided to send his sister to face me instead of doing it himself." Morgan looked back at the dark-haired woman about to join her. "I'm surprised."

"Be thankful. I doubt he'd be in any mood for discussion. As it stands he's probably only just now discovering what you did" Rowan replied, standing at parade rest in front of the altar. "I contacted Col. Baird before he could return to explain what happened in the dark realm."

"And so you decided to deal with this yourself?" Morgan sneered, standing to face the other woman. "You do know who I am, or more importantly, what I am capable of?"

"Actually, I don't care what you are capable of." Rowan said coldly. "I've dealt with worse."

"Brave words from such a young witch" Morgan crossed her arms across her chest and examined the girl intently.

"I'm not as young as I look" Rowan replied, looking down at her prey.

The sound of the wolf pack howling caught both women's attention. "What is that?" Morgan asked, frowning.

"Early warning system" Rowan looked back at the door with a slight smile. "We're about to have visitors."

Outside of the chapel

Jenkins stopped in his tracks as a pack of huge wolves stood between them and the chapel door. He looked back at his companion with a frown. "We have a problem."

Vlad smiled slightly. "They are no problem, just a slight impediment." He moved around the other man and walked up to the largest of the animals, a huge black wolf. "Your mistress is inside, isn't she?"

The wolf sat quietly, looking up at the old man. The other wolves moved around him nervously, looking from the pack leader to the man they knew as the Old Dragon. Suddenly the dark wolf started howling, an eerie sound echoing in the library's quiet corridors. The rest of the pack joined in, singing their wild song.

"I think we may have tripped the alarm" Vlad said somewhat amused.

"Will they try to stop us?" Jenkins asked, moving to stand behind the other man.

"No – why should they? They are only doing as their mistress asked, which means that minx knows she's being tracked." Vlad shook his head. He motioned to the large wolf to move away from the door then waved the other man to go before him. "After you."


	35. Chapter 35

Inside the chapel

Rowan smiled grimly at the woman in front of her. "You know, I could probably just slit your throat and be done with it. But I suspect that the spirit of the Library might have issues with blood being shed in its home."

"How convenient" Morgan sneered.

"Not for you" Rowan replied. Suddenly, she reached back and slapped the red-head hard, nearly knocking the woman off her feet.

"You little…" Morgan gasped. She inscribed a mystic symbol in the air. "You will pay for this."

Nothing seemed to change between the two women. "Doubtful I'll pay for anything at this rate." Rowan snorted, pulling her gloves out of her jacket.

Morgan stared at her hand in confusion then inscribed the mystical sign in the air again. And again – nothing happened. "What have you done?"

The chapel door opened and Jenkins entered, warily watching the two women in front of him. The wolves trotted in behind him, surrounding Rowan protectively. He bowed slightly to Rowan, his hand on his heart. "My lady, I've come to escort you back to your brother."

"So my brother isn't with you?" Rowan asked, inclining her head slightly towards the older man.

"No but your father is." He stepped aside to allow her to pass, looking back at Morgan with confusion.

"Oh. Guess I'm in trouble then. Come along Morgan dear – you can't hide here forever."

"What did you do to me?" Morgan shrieked again, staring at her hands in disbelief.

"She found a punishment worse than death" a voice from the doorway commented. Vlad stood leaning on the open door just outside of the threshold, an amused smile on his face. "If I had to guess I'd suspect she's taken your magic – and possibly your immortality."

Rowan smiled. "You know me so well. I can't kill her without insulting the spirit of the Library so I did the next best thing. Without her magic she is just like everyone else."

Jenkins stared in amazement at both women. "How long will this last?"

"Probably until she dies of old age" Rowan admitted ruefully. "I've never quite figured out how to reverse it. Arthur might know but goddess knows he'll never tell me."

"Enough, child" Vlad chided, holding out a hand to her. The tips of his fingers crossed the chapel threshold, smoke forming as they did.


	36. Chapter 36

Arthur sat on the edge of the table, his eyes closed. "Father will find her" he assured the Librarians, all of whom were eyeing the tall man with varying levels on concern. "He always does."

"What if he finds Morgan first?" Baird asked, worry in her voice. "Or what if he finds Rowan but she doesn't want to come with him?"

"Rowan never disobeys our Father. It's not in her nature. She'll happily kick me in the ass and walk away if I order her to do something she doesn't want to do but for him she will walk through flames." He smiled ruefully. "Guess I don't rate quite as high as he does."

"I'm sure she loves you equally as much" Cassandra reassured hurriedly.

"I agree with you Miss Cassandra" Arthur agreed. "It's just that my father is the reason I have a sister at all so we both tend to honor him greatly."

"Well, yeah, of course he's the reason you have a sister" Stone said. "I mean – he's your dad."

"This is where things get confusing" Arthur replied. "He's my father but not her's. Rowan was brought into my family when she was sixteen and has been our girl ever since." He shrugged, tapping his fingers on the table top. "Long story – and not one I can tell without her."

"What story?" Vlad's voice sounded out of the corridor. The older man entered, holding Rowan by the hand followed by Jenkins and Morgan le Fey. The wolf pack streamed in last, circling the Librarians with hungry eyes.

"Just telling them how I don't rate as high as you with my sister" Arthur said, making a face at the brunette.

"Oh please – you know I love you best of all the men in my life. I just happen to love Father as much. And I've always been taught to honor my elders." Rowan approached her brother, holding her hands out to him. "Hold out your hands, brother."

Arthur frowned then held his hands out to her, palms up. "What is this?" he asked, somberly.

"You'll see" she replied. She laid her palms over his with a smile. A slight golden light passed between them and Arthur's eyes glowed slightly. "There" she said, pulling her hands back and reaching for her gloves. "See – I told you I loved you best of all."

Arthur looked down at his hands then back at Rowan. "Did you do what I think you did?" He glanced back at the visibly shaken Morgan. "Well this is an interesting development."

"What is?" Flynn asked, curious.

"I think the lady has stripped Morgan of her magic abilities – and her immortality." Jenkins moved to stand beside the young Librarians, watching both the distressed witch and his friend's father at the same time. The sight of the man's finger tips smoking as they crossed the threshold of the chapel was a concern but neither Arthur nor his sister seemed to be disturbed.

Arthur bit his lip, trying unsuccessfully not to laugh. "You're mean – you know that right?"

"I'm inventive" Rowan protested playfully. "Father, will you join us at the House of Refuge or return to the realm?"

"What will you do with Morgan?" Baird asked.

Arthur eyed the angry woman somberly, then flicked his fingers at her. "Sleep" he commanded. Morgan dropped like a stone. "There. That will make this easier." he waved his hand in her direction "Be gone" he said and the red-head disappeared in a puff of smoke. "She's been returned to the world, specifically the Foundation she runs. When she awakes, she will remember nothing - neither past or nor present. All that she will remember is Lucinda McCabe's life."

"How long will that last?" Flynn asked, eyeing the wizard closely.

"As long as I want it to" Arthur replied, a grin on his face. "My sister passed what she took from Morgan on to me. Now it's my choice whether to let her live out her life as a mortal or give her back her old life."

"Told you he'd know how to reverse it" Rowan said with a smile

"Now that we've dealt with that little issue, can someone please open the door to the realm?" Vlad moved to stand beside the Annex's back door. "Kahn and I have a standing game of chess I'd rather not miss. He tends to cheat if I don't watch him set up the pieces."

Rowan laughed gaily. "You two – you argue as bad as we do."

Vlad shrugged, a bemused smile on his face. "He's my oldest friend and as close as a brother. Who else can you argue with if not your brother?"

Arthur looked over Jenkins. "So true."


	37. Chapter 37

Last chapter to this story - but I will be starting another with stories of Camelot shared by Arthur and Jenkins. And maybe others as well - who knows who might show up.

Pt. 38

Vlad walked through the Annex back door, waving goodbye to his children. Jenkins watched the doors close somberly. "Arthur, may I speak with you for a moment?"

"Can we talk in the House of Refuge?" Arthur looked at his friend quizzically. "Is there a problem?"

"I don't know" Jenkins responded, watching his Librarians pack up the information on the murders. "It's about your father."

"You have questions?"

"I saw his hand start to smoke when he reached for your sister in the chapel. Is he what I think he is?"

Arthur smiled thinly. "It's a long story and not one I particularly want to tell today. All you need to know about my father is that he is the best man and the best father that ever has been seen."

Jenkins frowned. "But if he is a danger…"

"The only beings he is a danger to would be anyone fool enough to raise a hand to my sister or myself. Don't concern yourself."

Jenkins glanced quickly over to where Rowan was still speaking to Baird. "As you wish – but we will have this talk at a later date."

"As you wish." Arthur turned and laid his hands on his sister's shoulders. "Ready to go."

Rowan smiled up at her big brother. "Of course. Will you and Mr. Jenkins grace us with some stories of Camelot? I'd love to hear what you were up to when I wasn't there to annoy you."

"You never annoy me" Arthur replied, gallantly. "You make me crazy most times, exasperate me other times but you never annoy me."

Rowan grinned at the Librarians. "He's such a bad liar."

"He always was." Jenkins said, standing behind his friend, one hand on his shoulder.

"Sounds like you two might have some good stories to tell" Baird said, looking between the two men with a smile.

Rowan took both Jenkins and Arthur's arms, putting herself right between them. "So, tea anyone?"

Arthur's groan filled the room as the light covered the Librarians and their guests, taking everyone to the House of Refuge and a moment of peace before the next adventure.


End file.
